kon/moes/wou

Modals in the Past

Level 2

Three modal verbs have their own past forms: kan → kon (could), moet → moes (had to), wil → wou (wanted to). Ek kon nie kom nie. (I couldn't come.)

How It Works

1. The three forms.

  • kan → kon: Toe ek klein was, kon ek nie swem nie. (When I was little, I couldn't swim.)
  • moet → moes: Ons moes lank wag. (We had to wait for a long time.)
  • wil → wou: Sy wou huis toe gaan. (She wanted to go home.)

2. Same word order as the present. The past modal stands in second place, and the other verb goes to the end as a plain infinitive (see modal verb word order): Ek moes gister werk. (I had to work yesterday.)

3. Negatives. The first nie comes after the modal, and the second nie closes the sentence: Hy wou nie eet nie. (He didn't want to eat.)

4. Kon can also mean could as a possibility. Like English could, kon can describe something possible: Dit kon enigiemand wees. (It could be anyone.)

5. The other two modals. Sal has the past form sou. Mag has an old past form, mog, which is rarely used today.

Tip: A past modal can also follow het, as in Ek het nie kon kom nie. That is a later step (see het + kon/moes/wou); the one-word forms here are the everyday starting point.

Examples (6)

  1. Ek kon nie kom nie.

    I couldn't come.

    Word by Word: I could not come not.

  2. Ons moes lank wag.

    We had to wait for a long time.

    Word by Word: We had-to long wait.

  3. Sy wou huis toe gaan.

    She wanted to go home.

    Word by Word: She wanted house to go.

  4. Toe ek klein was, kon ek nie swem nie.

    When I was little, I couldn't swim.

    Word by Word: When I small was, could I not swim not.

    The toe clause comes first, so kon comes before ek.

  5. Hy wou nie eet nie.

    He didn't want to eat.

    Word by Word: He wanted not eat not.

  6. Ek moes gister werk.

    I had to work yesterday.

    Word by Word: I had-to yesterday work.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a ge- form after the past modal.

    Ek kon nie gekom nie.
    Ek kon nie kom nie.

    After kon, moes and wou the other verb is a plain infinitive, just as after kan, moet and wil.

  • Adding te after the modal.

    Ons moes te wag.
    Ons moes wag.

    Modal verbs take a bare infinitive, with no te.

  • Leaving out the second nie.

    Ek kon nie kom.
    Ek kon nie kom nie.

    A negative sentence needs nie again at the very end.

How It Connects

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kon/moes/wouLevel 2Modals in the Past

Learn This First

Kon, moes and wou are the past forms of kan, moet and wil.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

konmoeswoukanmoetwil