Past Tense Modals
To talk about past abilities, obligations, permissions, and desires, we use the past tense forms of the modal verbs. Just like in the present tense, they are usually followed by the infinitive form of the main verb without at.
Here are the four key modal verbs in the past tense:
| Present | Past | Meaning in the Past |
|---|
| kan | kunne | could, was able to |
| vil | ville | wanted to, would |
| skal | skulle | had to, was supposed to |
| må | måtte | was allowed to, had to |
Rules and Obligations
Use skulle to express that someone had to do something, often because of a rule, plan, or instruction.
Use måtte to talk about permission. When you add ikke (not), the meaning becomes strict prohibition: you were not allowed to do something.
Ability
Use kunne to express whether someone could or was able to do something in the past.
To ask a question about past ability, start the sentence with kunne.
Desires and Intentions
Use ville to talk about what you wanted or intended to do.
Because we don't always get what we want, ville is often combined with other modal verbs to contrast a past desire with a past obligation or rule.