sollen

verb [ˈzɔlən]

Translation

shall, should, reportedly, allegedly, was to, was destined to

Some translations were made by AI and may be inaccurate.

Meanings

1. shall — express the issuing of a command or order

   Ich soll Wasser holen.
   I am supposed to get water.

2. should — express a recommendation from a third party

   Er hat gesagt, ich soll mal im Internet nachschauen.
   He said I should look it up on the internet.

3. reportedly, allegedly — in indirect speech: express a claim not made by oneself or hearsay

   Der Beifahrer behauptet, der Fahrer soll angemessen langsam gefahren sein.
   The passenger claims the driver was driving at a reasonably slow speed.

4. was to, was destined to — in the past tense: express a later point in time in the past

   Der Junge, der später König werden sollte, war auch jetzt schon weise.
   The boy who was to become king later was wise even then.

5. should have been — in the subjunctive II: express a conjecture or assumption

   Es hat eben nicht sein sollen.
   It just wasn't meant to be.

6. should — in the subjunctive II past tense: express a personal recommendation

   Du solltest nicht so viel trinken!
   You shouldn't drink so much!

7. were to — in the subjunctive II past tense: emphasize the unlikely occurrence of a condition

   Falls wir im Lotto gewinnen sollten, kaufe ich einen Sportwagen.
   If we should win the lottery, I'll buy a sports car.

Principal parts

Infinitiv

sollen

Präteritum

sollte

Partizip II

gesollt

Conjugation

Synonyms

• müssen

Same root

• Soll