Modal Perfects in Subordinate Clauses

Level 4

In a subordinate clause the verb usually goes to the end. The modal perfect is an exception: hunn stands before the two infinitives. ..., well en huet misse schaffen. (... because he had to work.)

How It Works

1. From main clause to subordinate clause
In a main clause, the modal perfect has hunn in second place and two infinitives at the end:

  • Hien huet misse schaffen. (He had to work.)

In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb normally moves to the end (verb at the end). With a modal perfect, hunn moves back only as far as the front of the two infinitives:

  • Mäi Frënd ass net matkomm, well en huet misse schaffen.
  • Et deet mer leed, datt ech net hu kënne kommen.

2. The order of the three verbs
Hunn comes first, then the modal, then the main verb: huet misse schaffen, hu kënne kommen, huet wëlle goen. Do not put hunn at the very end.

3. Where the other words go
Subjects, objects and adverbs normally come before hunn:

  • ..., datt ech de Pak direkt hu missen opmaachen.

A short phrase can also stand between the modal and the main verb. You will hear and read this often:

  • ..., well se esou laang huet missen op hiert Iesse waarden.
  • ..., datt mir hu missen zu Fouss goen.

4. The n-rule between the verbs
The verbs sit side by side, so the n-rule applies: hunn becomes hu before m and k, and missen becomes misse before most consonants. Before a vowel or d, h, n, t, z the n stays: missen op, missen zu.

5. All the modals
The pattern works with every modal: kënne, misse, wëlle, solle, däerfe. A separable verb stays in one piece at the end: hu missen opmaachen.

6. Compare the present
With a single modal in the present, both verbs also meet at the end, and two orders are possible; see modals in subordinate clauses. In the perfect, keep hunn in front.

Examples (6)

  1. Mäi Frënd ass net matkomm, well en huet misse schaffen.

    My friend didn't come along because he had to work.

    Huet stands before the two infinitives misse schaffen.

  2. Et deet mer leed, datt ech net hu kënne kommen.

    I'm sorry that I couldn't come.

    Hunn becomes hu before k, and kënnen becomes kënne before k.

  3. Ech hunn et net schlëmm fonnt, datt mir hu missen zu Fouss goen.

    I didn't mind that we had to walk.

    The phrase zu Fouss stands between the modal and the main verb.

  4. Well se esou laang huet missen op hiert Iesse waarden, krut si den Dessert fir näischt.

    Because she had had to wait so long for her food, she got the dessert for free.

    Missen keeps its n before the vowel of op.

  5. Hatt huet mer gesot, datt et gëschter net huet kënne schlofen.

    She told me that she couldn't sleep yesterday.

  6. Ech war esou virwëlzeg, datt ech de Pak direkt hu missen opmaachen.

    I was so curious that I had to open the parcel straight away.

    The separable verb opmaachen stays in one piece at the end.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting hunn at the very end of the clause.

    Hien ass net komm, well e misse schaffen huet.
    Hien ass net komm, well en huet misse schaffen.

    With a modal perfect, hunn does not go to the end of the subordinate clause. It stands before the two infinitives.

  • Using the participle of the modal.

    Et deet mer leed, datt ech net hu gekonnt kommen.
    Et deet mer leed, datt ech net hu kënne kommen.

    When a modal goes with another verb, its perfect uses the infinitive kënnen, not the participle gekonnt.

  • Forgetting the n-rule on hunn.

    Ech weess, datt mir hunn missen zu Fouss goen.
    Ech weess, datt mir hu missen zu Fouss goen.

    Missen starts with m, so hunn loses its n: hu missen.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Modal Perfects in Subordinate ClausesLevel 4

Learn This First

Before Modal Perfects in Subordinate Clauses, learn Perfect of Modal Verbs: Hunn + Two Infinitives and Modal Verbs in Subordinate Clauses.

Words in This Pattern

hunn