verb

dürfen

be allowed · be allowed to · may · allow

Es beschreibt, dass jemand etwas machen kann, weil es erlaubt ist.

Definition & meaning

The verb dürfen is one of the six German modal verbs. Its primary meaning is to be allowed to or to have permission to do something. It expresses that an action is permitted by an authority, a law, or a specific person.

Permission: It indicates that someone has the right or authorization to perform an action. For example, "Hier darf man parken" means "One is allowed to park here."
Prohibition: When used with a negation (nicht), it expresses a prohibition, meaning "must not" or "is not allowed to." For example, "Du darfst das nicht tun" means "You must not do that."
Probability: In its subjunctive form (Konjunktiv II), dürfte, it is used to express a strong probability or a polite assumption. "Das dürfte wahr sein" translates to "That is likely to be true."
Polite requests: It can be used to ask for permission or make a request more politely, such as "Darf ich eintreten?" (May I come in?).

Grammar & Word origin

Grammatically, dürfen is a modal verb, which means it is usually used in combination with the infinitive of another verb. It is an irregular (strong) verb. In the present tense singular, the stem vowel changes from "ü" to "a" (ich darf, du darfst, er/sie/es darf), and the first and third person singular forms have no ending.

The word originates from the Old High German durfan, which initially meant "to need" or "to have a reason to." Over time, the meaning shifted from a state of need to the concept of having the right or permission to do something. It is etymologically related to the English word dare, although the meanings have diverged significantly.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms: The most common synonyms that convey the idea of permission are erlauben, gestatten, or zulassen. In some contexts, particularly in informal speech, können is used synonymously with permission, though it technically refers to ability.

Antonyms: The direct opposite of having permission is being forbidden, represented by verbs like verbieten or untersagen. In terms of modal logic, the opposite of permission (may) is often obligation, represented by müssen.