Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.

Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning German now

Questions & Answers about Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.

What exactly does soll mean here, and how is it best translated into English?

soll is the 3rd person singular of sollen, a modal verb. In this sentence it expresses:

  • a plan, requirement, or instruction coming from some authority or external decision, not from the speaker.
  • something that is intended or supposed to happen.

Natural translations:

  • “This possibility is to be used again tomorrow.”
  • “This option is supposed to be used again tomorrow.”
  • “This possibility should be used again tomorrow.” (but this can sound more like advice in English than in German)

It is not the same as wird (“will be used”), which sounds more like a neutral prediction or statement of fact. soll carries the nuance: according to some plan/requirement.

Why is it genutzt werden and not just a normal conjugated verb like wird genutzt?

genutzt werden is the passive infinitive, used because soll is a modal verb.

  • Passive without a modal (present tense):
    Die Möglichkeit wird morgen wieder genutzt.
    “The possibility is (being) used again tomorrow.”

  • With a modal verb, you don’t use that finite passive form. You use:

    • modal (conjugated) + past participle + werden (infinitive):

    Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.
    literally: “This possibility shall tomorrow again used be.”

Structure:

  • soll – conjugated modal
  • genutzt – past participle of nutzen
  • werden – infinitive to build the passive

So wird genutzt becomes genutzt werden when you add a modal like soll.

Why is werden at the very end of the sentence?

German pushes non-finite verb forms (infinitives and participles) to the end of a clause.
With one verb, you normally get:

  • Die Möglichkeit wird genutzt.

With two verbs (e.g. modal + infinitive, or auxiliary + participle), they both go to the end, and the conjugated (finite) verb moves near the front:

  • Diese Möglichkeit soll ... genutzt werden.

Here:

  • soll is finite → goes to the second position in the sentence.
  • genutzt werden is the verb “cluster” at the end.

This “verb pile-up at the end” is typical German word order when you have more than one verb in a clause.

What does wieder add here, and why is it before genutzt werden?

wieder means “again”.

  • Without it:
    Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen genutzt werden.
    “This possibility is to be used tomorrow.”

  • With it:
    Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.
    “This possibility is to be used again tomorrow.”

Position:

  • Adverbs like wieder usually go in the “middle field,” before the verb cluster at the end.
  • So the natural order is:
    ... soll [time: morgen] [adverb: wieder] [verb cluster: genutzt werden].

You could say Diese Möglichkeit soll wieder morgen genutzt werden, but that sounds unnatural and can confuse the focus. Standard, neutral order is morgen wieder before the verbs.

Why is it diese Möglichkeit and not dieser Möglichkeit or dieses Möglichkeit?

You need the nominative singular feminine form of dies- because:

  1. Möglichkeit is grammatically feminine: die Möglichkeit.
  2. In this sentence, Diese Möglichkeit is the subject (the thing that “is to be used”).

Declension of dies- in the singular:

  • Masculine: dieser Mann
  • Feminine: diese Möglichkeit
  • Neuter: dieses Buch

Since the subject is feminine, nominative singular, you get diese Möglichkeit.

What is the difference between “Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden” and “Diese Möglichkeit wird morgen wieder genutzt”?

Both are passive, but the nuance is different:

  • Diese Möglichkeit wird morgen wieder genutzt.
    – Present passive (often with future sense in context)
    – Neutral statement of fact / plan: “It will be used again tomorrow.”

  • Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.
    – Passive + modal sollen
    – Expresses an intention, obligation, or instruction:
    “It is supposed to be used again tomorrow.”
    “It is to be used again tomorrow (according to the plan/rules).”

So wird = factual development; soll = prescribed or expected action.

Is this sentence talking about the future, even though there is no future tense form like wird ... werden?

Yes, it refers to the future (tomorrow), but German usually does not need a special future tense if:

  • the time is clear from context or from a time word like morgen.

Present + time adverb is enough:

  • Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.
    literally “This possibility is supposed to be used again tomorrow,” but clearly talking about the future.

You would only use a future construction (e.g. wird genutzt werden) if you wanted to stress prediction or formality, but even then, many native speakers prefer the simpler present + time adverb.

What would be the active-voice version of this sentence?

Passive:
Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.

Active, with a generic subject like man:

  • Man soll diese Möglichkeit morgen wieder nutzen.
    “People are supposed to use this possibility again tomorrow.”

Or with a specific subject:

  • Die Mitarbeiter sollen diese Möglichkeit morgen wieder nutzen.
    “The employees are supposed to use this possibility again tomorrow.”

Passive focuses on die Möglichkeit (the option).
Active focuses on who is supposed to do the action.

Why is it genutzt and not nutzt or nutzen?

nutzen is the base verb “to use / to make use of”.

Its main forms here:

  • infinitive: nutzento use
  • 3rd person singular present: nutztuses
  • past participle: genutztused

Passive (without modal) uses the past participle:

  • Die Möglichkeit wird genutzt. – “The possibility is used.”

With a modal verb (soll), the passive infinitive is:

  • genutzt werden – “to be used.”

So:

  • nutzt = he/she/it uses (active, present)
  • genutzt (werden) = is/are to be used (passive, with/without modal)
Could I say “Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder benutzt/verwendet werden” instead of genutzt? Is there a difference?

You can say:

  • benutzt – from benutzen
  • verwendet – from verwenden

and the grammar stays the same:

  • Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder benutzt werden.
  • Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder verwendet werden.

Nuances:

  • nutzen / genutzt – often more abstract: “make use of an opportunity/option.”
    eine Möglichkeit/eine Chance nutzen
  • benutzen – more concrete, physical using of objects:
    einen Stift benutzen, die Toilette benutzen
  • verwenden – “to use/employ/apply,” often in more formal/technical or neutral contexts:
    ein Material/eine Methode verwenden

With Möglichkeit, nutzen is the most idiomatic:
eine Möglichkeit nutzen (“make use of an opportunity”).

Can I change the word order of morgen and wieder, for example: “Diese Möglichkeit soll wieder morgen genutzt werden”?

Grammatically it’s possible, but it sounds odd and unnatural.

Standard, neutral order in the middle field is:

  • subject – finite verb – (other elements) – time – other adverbs – verb cluster

So:

  • Diese Möglichkeit soll morgen wieder genutzt werden.

Placing wieder before morgen (... soll wieder morgen genutzt werden) sounds marked or confusing and would usually only be used for special emphasis in spoken language. For learners, stick to:

  • morgen wieder genutzt werden
    to sound natural.