Mogen is the Dutch modal for permission — English "may" or "to be allowed to." It is the verb you reach for to ask whether something is permitted (Mag ik …?, "May I …?") and, with niet or geen, to express prohibition (Dat mag niet, "That's not allowed"). Two things make mogen stand out. First, its present-tense singular is completely invariant: ik mag, jij mag, hij mag — the same form, with no -t anywhere, which is unusual even among the modals. Second, mogen leads a double life: beyond permission, it also means "to like" (Ik mag hem wel, "I quite like him"), and in that sense it has a fully living participle, gemogen.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present (sg.) | Simple past (sg.) | Past participle | Perfect auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mogen | mag | mocht | gemogen | hebben |
Classification: irregular (preterite-present modal). Mogen is a modal, so it pairs with a bare infinitive and takes no -t in the third-person singular. Its past mocht/mochten adds the dental -t- (a weak-style past on an irregular stem), and the participle gemogen is mostly reserved for the "to like" meaning.
Present tense — note the invariant singular mag
| Person | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | mag | I may / am allowed to |
| jij / je | mag | you may |
| u | mag | you may (formal) |
| hij / zij / het | mag | he / she / it may |
| wij / we | mogen | we may |
| jullie | mogen | you (pl.) may |
| zij / ze | mogen | they may |
This is the standout fact: every singular person uses the same form, mag, with no -t even for jij or hij. Where other modals offer a kunt/zult variant for jij, mogen has nothing of the kind — it is jij mag, flat. So inversion changes nothing either: mag ik?, mag jij?, mag u? all keep mag unchanged. Only the plural shifts, to mogen.
Mag ik hier parkeren?
May I park here? Permission question — invariant 'mag' before the subject.
Simple past: mocht and mochten
The past splits by number — singular mocht, plural mochten.
| Person | Past form |
|---|---|
| ik / jij / u / hij / zij / het | mocht |
| wij / jullie / zij (pl.) | mochten |
Vroeger mocht ik nooit lang opblijven.
When I was little I was never allowed to stay up late. Singular past 'mocht' (= 'was allowed to').
The perfect — double infinitive for permission, gemogen for "to like"
This is where mogen's two meanings split apart.
When mogen governs another verb (the permission sense), its perfect uses the double infinitive (IPP): hebben + bare infinitive mogen, not the participle.
| Person | Perfect (double infinitive) | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | heb … mogen blijven | I was allowed to stay |
| hij / zij / het | heeft … mogen blijven | he/she/it was allowed to stay |
| wij / jullie / zij | hebben … mogen blijven | we/you/they were allowed to stay |
Ik heb als kind nooit een hond mogen hebben.
As a child I was never allowed to have a dog. Double infinitive — 'heb … mogen hebben', not 'gemogen'.
But in the "to like" sense, mogen stands alone as a full verb, and there the participle gemogen is the correct, living form:
Ik heb die man nooit zo gemogen.
I never liked that man much. The 'to like' meaning — here 'gemogen' is the right participle.
Imperative — none
Modals have no imperative; you cannot command "may." (Shared with zullen, kunnen, moeten, willen.)
Three model sentences
These cover mogen's three jobs: permission, prohibition, and "to like."
Je mag mijn fiets wel even lenen.
You're welcome to borrow my bike for a bit. Permission granted — 'mag' + the softening particle 'wel'.
Hier mag je niet roken.
You're not allowed to smoke here. Prohibition with 'mogen' + 'niet'.
Ik mag haar wel, ze is heel eerlijk.
I quite like her, she's very honest. The 'to like' sense of 'mogen' — note the typical 'wel'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Hij magt hier blijven.
Incorrect — the singular is invariant 'mag' with no -t, ever: 'hij mag'.
✅ Hij mag hier blijven.
He's allowed to stay here.
❌ Jij magt naar het feest. / Jij mogt …
Incorrect — there is no -t form. The 'jij' form is simply 'mag': 'Jij mag naar het feest.'
✅ Jij mag naar het feest.
You're allowed to go to the party.
❌ Kan ik even naar de wc? (asking permission)
Mismatched meaning — for permission use 'mogen': 'Mag ik even naar de wc?'
✅ Mag ik even naar de wc?
May I go to the toilet for a moment?
❌ Ik heb mogen blijven slapen — wait, intended 'I liked it': Ik heb het mogen.
Incorrect — in the 'to like' sense the standalone participle is 'gemogen': 'Ik heb het altijd gemogen.'
✅ Ik heb het altijd gemogen.
I've always liked it.
❌ Wij mocht niet mee.
Incorrect — the plural past is 'mochten', not 'mocht'.
✅ Wij mochten niet mee.
We weren't allowed to come along.
Key Takeaways
- Present: the whole singular is one invariant form, mag (ik/jij/hij mag, no -t); plural mogen.
- Inversion changes nothing: mag ik? / mag jij? / mag u?.
- Past: singular mocht, plural mochten.
- Perfect: double infinitive in the permission sense (ik heb … mogen blijven), but the standalone participle gemogen in the "to like" sense (ik heb het gemogen).
- Mogen = permission ("may / be allowed to"); don't substitute kunnen (ability). And remember its second meaning, "to like" (ik mag hem wel).
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