Can you explain the difference between duerfen and muessen in the positive and negative?

In order to understand which of these two is most appropriate for what you are trying to say, you should think about their literal translations. Duerfen is "to be allowed to", expressing permission, and muessen is more "to need to" expressing "must". So, if you were to say "Ich muss das Abendessen kochen" it incinuates that the action must be done, and "Ich darf das Abendessen kochen" would show that you have been give the permission to do the cooking.

However it is worth being wary about using these two in the negative, as while we in English say "I must not cook dinner", one would use duerfen and not muessen when translating this into German, as the sentence expresses a lack of permission, so "Ich darf das Abendessen nicht kochen". "Ich muss das Abendessen nicht kochen" instead would mean "I do not need to cook dinner", incinuating that you have the permission but not the need.

EE
Answered by Eleanor E. German tutor

5515 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do you form the perfect tense?


Was machst du am liebsten in deiner Freizeit? Folgefragen: Warum macht es dir Spaß? Wo machst du es? Sind andere Leute dabei? etc.


Wie schreibt man einen Kommentar?


How do I know which case to use?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning