Giving Advice with "sollen"
In German, the modal verb sollen expresses what someone should do or what is supposed to happen. Like other modal verbs, it takes the second position and pushes the main verb to the end of the sentence in its infinitive form.
Here is the present tense conjugation. Notice that the ich and er/sie/es forms have no ending:
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| ich | soll |
| du | sollst |
| er/sie/es | soll |
| wir | sollen |
| ihr | sollt |
| sie/Sie | sollen |
Use sollen to give advice:
| You have a fever. You should take the medicine. | Du hast Fieber. Du sollst die Medizin einnehmen. |
| The doctor's advice is good. You should take something for the cough. | Der Ratschlag vom Arzt ist gut. Du sollst etwas gegen den Husten nehmen. |
| The weather is bad. You should definitely stay at home. | Das Wetter ist schlecht. Ihr sollt unbedingt zu Hause bleiben. |
Rules and Expectations
Sollen also translates to "to be supposed to." Use it to talk about expectations, official rules, or instructions.
| The rain is supposed to stop this afternoon. | Der Regen soll heute Nachmittag aufhören. |
| There is a new rule in the office. All employees are supposed to observe it. | Es gibt eine neue Regel im Büro. Alle Mitarbeiter sollen sie beachten. |
| What did Grandpa say? We are supposed to always tell the truth. | Was hat Opa gesagt? Wir sollen immer die Wahrheit sagen. |
General Guidelines
Pair sollen with the impersonal pronoun man (one) to state general rules or moral advice.
| One should not swim here. It is dangerous! | Man soll hier nicht schwimmen. Es ist gefährlich! |
| One should always tell the truth. | Man soll immer die Wahrheit sagen. |
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