mögen and möchte: Liking and Polite Wishing | German Grammar

These are really two verbs wearing one face. mögen in the present (mag, magst, mag…) almost always means "to like," and unlike the other modals it usually takes a direct object rather than a second verb: Ich mag Schokolade. Its Konjunktiv II form möchte has split off into a verb of its own — the everyday polite "would like" you use to order a coffee or ask for anything. Learning them together shows you how one family covers both liking and wishing politely.

mögen: "to like" — present tense

mögen changes its stem vowel in the singular (the umlaut drops: mög- becomes mag-) and, like all modals, takes no -t in the third person singular.

Person	mögen (present)
ich	mag
du	magst
er / sie / es	mag
wir	mögen
ihr	mögt
sie / Sie	mögen

Here is the key structural surprise. The other modals are built to govern an infinitive at the end of the clause. mögen in its "like" sense usually does not: it takes a noun or pronoun as a direct object, exactly like an ordinary transitive verb.

Ich mag Schokolade.

I like chocolate.

Magst du Katzen?

Do you like cats? (informal)

Sie mag ihren neuen Job sehr.

She really likes her new job.

You can even use it about people, where it means "to be fond of / like":

Ich mag dich.

I like you. (warm but not romantic — 'I'm fond of you')

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mögen is a false friend in disguise. English speakers sometimes connect it to "may," because mögen is a modal — but its everyday meaning is "to like," not permission or possibility. If you want "may," you need dürfen. The archaic "permission/possibility" sense of mögen survives only in set phrases like Möge er ruhen ("May he rest"), which is (literary) and not part of normal speech.

möchte: "would like" — the polite wish

möchte is, on paper, the Konjunktiv II of mögen. But in modern German it has become a verb in its own right with a distinct meaning: "would like." It is the default polite way to express a wish or place an order, and you will use it many times a day.

Person	möchte
ich	möchte
du	möchtest
er / sie / es	möchte
wir	möchten
ihr	möchtet
sie / Sie	möchten

Unlike present-tense mögen, möchte behaves like a normal modal: it can take a direct object or a governed infinitive at the end of the clause.

Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte.

I'd like a coffee, please. (with object)

Wir möchten gern bezahlen.

We'd like to pay, please. (with infinitive)

Möchtest du noch ein Stück Kuchen?

Would you like another piece of cake? (informal offer)

möchte vs wollen: politeness is the whole point

This is where most English speakers go wrong, because both wollen and möchte translate as wanting. The difference is register and force. wollen is assertive — "I want." möchte is courteous — "I'd like." In any request to a stranger, a waiter, a shop assistant, or an authority, möchte is the right choice; plain wollen sounds blunt or even rude.

Ich möchte bitte die Rechnung.

I'd like the bill, please. (polite, normal)

Ich will die Rechnung.

I want the bill. (curt — fine when annoyed, otherwise too direct)

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It is the same instinct that makes English speakers say "I'd like the soup" rather than "I want the soup" in a restaurant. German just makes the polite form its own word. Default to möchte for requests; reserve wollen for stating firm intentions where directness is acceptable. See politeness and requests and the wollen page.

möchte has no infinitive or past of its own

A frequent learner reflex is to look for an infinitive "möchten" to mean "to would-like," or a past tense "möchtete." Neither exists in normal use. möchte is a finite Konjunktiv II form; it has no independent infinitive and no past tense.

When you need the past of a polite wish, you go back to the parent verb mögen: the Präteritum is mochte (no umlaut, with o), and the participle is gemocht. Note the spelling carefully — möchte (umlaut, polite "would like") versus mochte (no umlaut, past "liked").

Als Kind mochte ich kein Gemüse.

As a child I didn't like vegetables. (past 'liked' → mochte)

Den Film habe ich nicht gemocht.

I didn't like the film. (Perfekt of mögen)

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Keep the two apart by the umlaut and the meaning: mochte (no umlaut) = past tense of "to like"; möchte (umlaut) = present-time polite "would like." If you want to report a past wish like "I wanted to leave," don't use möchte at all — use the Präteritum of wollen: Ich wollte gehen.

Negating mögen

Negated mögen simply means "to dislike / not to like." With a direct object you place nicht before it, or use kein with an indefinite noun.

Ich mag keinen Kaffee.

I don't like coffee. (kein before an indefinite noun)

Meine Tochter mag das Lied nicht.

My daughter doesn't like the song.

Common mistakes

❌ Ich will einen Tee, bitte.

Too blunt for ordering — sounds demanding.

✅ Ich möchte einen Tee, bitte.

I'd like a tea, please. (polite → möchte)

❌ Ich mag Fußball spielen.

Wrong — present mögen + infinitive sounds odd; for an activity use möchte or spiele gern.

✅ Ich spiele gern Fußball.

I like playing football. (gern + verb is the natural way)

❌ Gestern möchtete ich nach Hause.

Wrong — möchte has no past form; use the past of wollen.

✅ Gestern wollte ich nach Hause.

Yesterday I wanted to go home.

❌ Als Kind möchte ich kein Gemüse.

Wrong tense — for the past 'liked', use mochte (no umlaut).

✅ Als Kind mochte ich kein Gemüse.

As a child I didn't like vegetables.

❌ Magst du mit mir kommen?

Odd — present mögen doesn't naturally take this infinitive; use möchtest.

✅ Möchtest du mit mir kommen?

Would you like to come with me?

Key takeaways

Present mögen (mag, magst, mag) = "to like," usually with a direct object, not an infinitive.
möchte = "would like," the everyday polite form for wishes, orders, and offers.
möchte is politer than wollen — always prefer it in requests to others.
möchte has no infinitive or past: for a past wish use wollte; for past "liked" use mochte (no umlaut).

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