The Passive With Modal Verbs

Level 4

Modal verb + participle + ginn: Dat muss haut nach gemaach ginn. (That has to be done today.)

How It Works

1. How it is built
Modal in second place, participle and ginn at the end:

  • Dat muss haut nach gemaach ginn. (That has to be done today.)
  • D'Dier kann net opgemaach ginn. (The door cannot be opened.)
  • Niewent der Gare soll en Héichhaus gebaut ginn. (A tower block is to be built next to the station.)

This is just a modal verb with an infinitive, where the infinitive is the passive gemaach ginn. See passive with ginn.

2. The modals

  • mussen: has to be: Meng Auer muss gefléckt ginn.
  • kënnen: can be: Dat ka reparéiert ginn.
  • sollen: should be, is to be: D'Gesetz soll geännert ginn.
  • däerfen with net: must not be: Hei däerf net gefëmmt ginn. See impersonal passive.

3. The n-rule
The modal and a participle in -en follow the n-rule: kann becomes ka before most consonants, and ënnerschriwwen becomes ënnerschriwwe before ginn: De Kontrakt muss nach haut ënnerschriwwe ginn.

4. In a subordinate clause
The modal also goes to the end. As with other modals in subordinate clauses, it very often comes before the other verbs: ..., well dat haut nach muss gemaach ginn. The order with the modal last, gemaach gi muss, is also correct.

5. In the past
Use the simple past of the modal: D'Dier konnt net opgemaach ginn. (The door could not be opened.) See konnt/wollt/sollt/duerft.

Examples (6)

  1. Dat muss haut nach gemaach ginn.

    That has to be done today.

    Muss is second; gemaach ginn is at the end.

  2. D'Dier kann net opgemaach ginn.

    The door cannot be opened.

  3. Meng Auer muss onbedéngt gefléckt ginn!

    My watch really needs to be repaired!

  4. Niewent der Gare soll en Héichhaus gebaut ginn.

    A tower block is to be built next to the station.

  5. De Kontrakt muss nach haut ënnerschriwwe ginn.

    The contract has to be signed today.

    Ënnerschriwwen loses its n before ginn.

  6. D'Dier konnt net opgemaach ginn.

    The door could not be opened.

    For the past, use the simple past of the modal.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding ze before ginn.

    Dat muss gemaach ze ginn.
    Dat muss gemaach ginn.

    Modal verbs never take ze. The passive infinitive is just gemaach ginn.

  • Conjugating ginn instead of leaving it as an infinitive.

    Dat muss gemaach gëtt.
    Dat muss gemaach ginn.

    Only the modal is conjugated. Ginn stays in the infinitive at the end.

  • Putting ginn before the participle.

    Dat muss haut nach gi gemaach.
    Dat muss haut nach gemaach ginn.

    The participle comes first and ginn comes last.

How It Connects

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The Passive With Modal VerbsLevel 4

Learn This First

Before The Passive With Modal Verbs, learn The Passive: Ginn + Participle and Modal Verb and Infinitive.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

mussenkënnen