Mogen is the Dutch verb for may / be allowed to — the modal of permission. Mag ik binnenkomen? ("May I come in?"), Je mag hier parkeren ("You're allowed to park here"). But mogen has a second, completely separate life that no English modal shares: it is also a full lexical verb meaning "to like (a person)" — Ik mag hem wel means "I quite like him." This double identity is the heart of the page. We'll lay out the conjugation, work through permission and its negation (prohibition), and then turn to the lexical mogen, which native speakers use constantly and learners almost never produce. For the broader permission question — when to reach for mogen versus kunnen — see choosing/kunnen-mogen-permission.
Conjugation: present
Like the other modals, mogen is irregular in the singular: the ik- and hij-forms have no -t, and the singular stem is mag, not moog.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| ik | mag |
| jij | mag |
| hij / zij / het | mag |
| u | mag |
| wij / jullie / zij | mogen |
Note that the jij-form is simply mag — there is no jij magt, and no -t even in inversion: mag je? Every singular subject takes the same bare mag. That uniformity makes mogen one of the easier modals to conjugate in the present.
Ik mag van mijn ouders tot tien uur opblijven.
My parents let me stay up until ten. — 'ik mag', literally 'I'm allowed by my parents'.
Mag je dat zomaar zeggen op je werk?
Are you allowed to just say that at your work? — inversion 'mag je', still no -t.
De kinderen mogen vanavond een filmpje kijken.
The kids are allowed to watch a movie tonight. — plural 'mogen'.
Conjugation: past
The simple past is mocht (singular) / mochten (plural). The past participle is gemogen, but you will rarely write it: with a following verb, mogen becomes a double infinitive in the perfect, exactly like kunnen (see verbs/modals/double-infinitive-ipp).
| Subject | Simple past |
|---|---|
| ik / jij / hij / zij | mocht |
| wij / jullie / zij | mochten |
Vroeger mocht ik nooit zo laat thuiskomen.
When I was younger I was never allowed to come home so late. — past 'mocht'.
We mochten van de baas eerder weg.
The boss let us leave early. — plural 'mochten'.
The participle gemogen surfaces almost only with the lexical "to like" meaning, where there is no following infinitive: Ik heb hem altijd gemogen ("I've always liked him").
Use 1: permission
The core meaning. Mogen grants or asks for permission — it is the verb of rules, authority, and "am I allowed?" The action permitted goes into a bare infinitive at the end (no te), the same frame all modals use.
Mag ik binnenkomen?
May I come in? — the classic polite request for permission.
Je mag hier parkeren, maar niet op zondag.
You're allowed to park here, but not on Sunday.
Mama, mag ik nog een koekje?
Mum, may I have another biscuit? — note the bare object 'een koekje', no verb needed.
That last example shows something worth flagging: mogen can take a bare object with the verb of getting/having left implicit. Mag ik een koffie? ("Can I have a coffee?") needs no hebben — the request is understood. This is extremely common when ordering.
Use 2: prohibition (mogen + niet)
Negate mogen and you get prohibition — "you must not," "you're not allowed to." This is one of the most important constructions in the language, and one English speakers must hold separate from hoeven niet (see below and moeten-and-hoeven).
Je mag niet te laat komen.
You mustn't be late. — prohibition: being late is forbidden.
Je mag hier niet roken.
You're not allowed to smoke here. — a posted rule.
Dat mag je niemand vertellen, beloofd?
You mustn't tell anyone that, promise? — 'mag niet' = it's forbidden to.
The logic is clean: mogen niet withdraws permission, so it forbids. Keep this firmly separate from hoeven niet, which removes an obligation (you don't have to). Je mag niet komen = "you must not come" (forbidden); Je hoeft niet te komen = "you don't have to come" (optional). English collapses both onto "don't have to / mustn't," but Dutch keeps them apart. The full three-way contrast lives on moeten-and-hoeven.
Use 3: mogen as a full verb — "to like (a person)"
Here is the feature that makes mogen unique among modals. Stripped of any following infinitive, mogen is a lexical verb meaning "to like" — specifically, to like a person (or sometimes an animal). It is not about romance and not about activities; it expresses finding someone agreeable, approving of them.
Ik mag hem wel.
I quite like him. — lexical 'mogen': I find him likeable. Note the near-obligatory 'wel'.
Ik mag die buurman graag.
I really like that neighbour. — 'mogen ... graag' intensifies the liking.
Ze mag jou duidelijk niet.
She clearly doesn't like you. — 'mag niet' here = doesn't like, not 'forbids'.
Two things to absorb. First, the almost-obligatory wel: bare Ik mag hem sounds oddly clipped, even cold; native speakers say Ik mag hem wel ("I do like him / I like him fine"). The wel softens it into a natural, slightly understated approval — very Dutch. Second, you can stack graag on top (Ik mag haar graag) to mean "I'm fond of her." Past tense works the same way: Ik mocht hem wel, Ik heb hem altijd gemogen.
How does this differ from the other "to like" verbs? Dutch has three, and they don't overlap (see choosing/graag-vs-willen-vs-houden-van for the full map):
| Verb | What it likes | Strength | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| mogen (+ wel) | a person (approval of character) | mild, understated | Ik mag hem wel. |
| leuk vinden | people, things, activities | general "to like" | Ik vind hem leuk. |
| houden van | people, things — love/deep fondness | strong; with people = love | Ik hou van hem. |
The distinction is real and worth memorizing. Ik mag hem wel is a measured "he's all right by me, I approve of him." Ik vind hem leuk is a warmer, more general "I like him" (and, of a potential partner, can hint at attraction). Ik hou van hem is "I love him." Reaching for mogen signals a specifically even-keeled, character-based liking — you respect or appreciate the person without gushing. It is one of those small words that makes your Dutch sound native.
Ik hoef niet met haar bevriend te zijn, maar ik mag haar wel.
I don't need to be friends with her, but I do like her. — measured approval.
Common Mistakes
❌ Mag ik zwemmen? (meaning: am I able to swim?)
Wrong verb — 'mogen' is permission, not ability; for ability use 'kunnen'.
✅ Kan ik zwemmen? / Mag ik in het zwembad?
Use 'kunnen' for ability ('can I swim?') and 'mogen' for permission ('am I allowed in the pool?').
❌ Ik mag hem. (as a statement of liking)
Too clipped — the lexical 'to like' meaning needs 'wel' to sound natural.
✅ Ik mag hem wel.
I quite like him. — 'wel' makes it natural Dutch.
❌ Je mag niet te komen.
Incorrect — no 'te' after a modal; the infinitive is bare.
✅ Je mag niet komen.
You mustn't come. — bare infinitive after 'mogen'.
❌ Jij magt hier niet roken.
Incorrect — 'mogen' takes no -t in the singular; it's just 'mag'.
✅ Jij mag hier niet roken.
You're not allowed to smoke here.
❌ Ik hou van mijn collega's. (meaning: I find them pleasant)
Overstated — 'houden van' is love/deep fondness; for mild approval of colleagues use 'mogen wel'.
✅ Ik mag mijn collega's wel.
I like my colleagues (well enough). — measured, character-based liking.
Key Takeaways
- Mogen is the modal of permission (Mag ik binnenkomen?) and, negated, of prohibition (Je mag hier niet roken).
- Present singular is invariant: ik/jij/hij/u mag, plural mogen — no -t anywhere in the singular, even in inversion (mag je?).
- Past mocht / mochten; participle gemogen (mostly with the "like" sense).
- Mogen is also a full verb meaning "to like a person" — Ik mag hem wel, almost always with wel, intensified by graag.
- Keep the three likings apart: mogen wel (measured approval of a person) vs leuk vinden (general liking) vs houden van (love).
- Don't confuse permission mogen with ability kunnen, and keep prohibition mogen niet ("must not") separate from hoeven niet ("don't have to").
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Modal Verbs: OverviewA2 — A map of the six Dutch modals — kunnen, mogen, moeten, willen, zullen, hoeven — and the one pattern they share: modal + bare infinitive at the end of the clause.
- Kunnen: Can, Be Able, MayA2 — How to use and conjugate kunnen — for ability, possibility, and informal permission — including the kan/kun/kunt variation and the inversion form kun je / kan je.
- Moeten and Hoeven: Must, Have To, Need NotA2 — How moeten expresses obligation — and why its negative is never 'moeten niet' but the special defective verb hoeven niet te, the single biggest modal trap for English speakers.
- Kunnen vs Mogen: Can and May (Permission)A2 — A decision guide for kunnen and mogen — kunnen for ability and possibility (I can swim), mogen for permission and prohibition (may I, you're not allowed), and why 'Mag ik...?' is the right way to ask permission where English loosely says 'Can I...?'
- Graag, Willen, Houden van: Like, Want, LoveB1 — Dutch has no single verb 'to like'. Instead it splits the job three ways: graag (for liking an activity), willen (for wanting), and houden van (for loving a thing or person). This page shows which one each English sentence needs, and why the calque 'ik like' or 'ik hou van koffie drinken' goes wrong.