Breakdown of Das Paket soll an der Tür abgegeben werden.
die Tür
the door
sollen
should
das Paket
the package
an
at
Questions & Answers about Das Paket soll an der Tür abgegeben werden.
What exactly does soll mean here? Is it just the future tense like “will be delivered”?
Sollen is not a future tense. It expresses:
- obligation / instruction: what should or is supposed to happen
- sometimes official rules or arrangements
So Das Paket soll an der Tür abgegeben werden is best understood as:
- “The package is supposed to be left at the door.”
- or: “The package is to be left at the door.” (instructional/formal English)
If you said Das Paket wird an der Tür abgegeben, that would mean “The package is (being) delivered at the door” – more like a neutral statement of fact, not an instruction.
Why is the verb split at the end as abgegeben werden? Why not just one verb?