Breakdown of Das Raumschiff soll nachts landen.
sollen
should / ought to
das Raumschiff
the spaceship
nachts
at night
landen
to land
Questions & Answers about Das Raumschiff soll nachts landen.
Why does soll translate to 'is said to' here instead of 'should'?
In German, the modal verb sollen has a special 'subjective' use. It is frequently used to report rumors, hearsay, or claims made by other people. While it often means 'should' or 'is supposed to', in this context Das Raumschiff soll... landen means 'People say the spaceship will land' or 'The spaceship is said to land'.
Could this sentence also mean 'The spaceship should land at night'?
Yes! Out of context, this sentence is completely ambiguous. It can mean both 'The spaceship is supposed to land at night' (an order or schedule) and 'The spaceship is said to land at night' (a rumor). You have to rely on the surrounding context to know which meaning the speaker intends.
Why does nachts have an s at the end?
Adding an s to a time-related noun turns it into an adverb indicating a general time of day or something that happens repeatedly. Here, die Nacht (the night) becomes nachts (at night). You have likely seen this before with words like morgens (in the mornings) and abends (in the evenings).
Just to review, why is landen at the very end of the sentence?
This follows the standard rule for modal verbs in German. The conjugated modal verb (soll) takes the second position in the sentence, and it pushes the main action verb (landen) to the very end of the clause in its infinitive (dictionary) form.
Learn Das Raumschiff soll nachts landen and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free