Passive Voice - Modal Verbs

Every tense and mood available in the passive voice can have a modal verb added to it. Similar to the active voice, modal verbs are primarily used in the non-perfect tenses with the passive voice (Present, Simple Past, Future) in written and spoken language.

Non-Perfect Indicative


Active Passive
Present
Ihr müsst den Tisch abräumen.
You guys need to clear the table.		 Der Tisch muss abgeräumt werden.
The table needs to be cleared.
[modal verb in Present] + [past participle] + werden
Simple Past
Ich sollte das Klavier stimmen.
I was supposed to tune the piano.		 Das Klavier sollte gestimmt werden.
The piano was supposed to be tuned.
[modal verb in Simple Past] + [past participle] + werden
Future
Ich werde das tun müssen.
I will have to do that.		 Das wird getan werden müssen.
That will have to be done.
[werden for future] + [past participle] + werden + [modal verb infinitive]

The Future tense contains what is called the double infinitive. When a modal verb is coupled with another verb, they form a pair. The original verb is the first infinitive while the modal verb the second infinitive. As implied by the name, these two verbs are always in their infinitive form.

This rule is important when using modal verbs in the perfect tenses. For example in the Present Perfect, when you might expect a verb to be in its past participle form, it will instead be in its infinitive form. The examples in the next section should illustrate this more clearly.

Perfect Indicative

Important Note: Before reading further, you should be made aware that the double infinitive can make passive voice with modal verbs sentences quickly become cumbersome and awkward to read. For that reason, German speakers tend to avoid the usage of the perfect tenses with modal verbs in the passive voice. They are included for completeness (and for fun).

Active Passive
Present Perfect
Ich habe einen Termin nicht vereinbaren können.
I could not arrange an appointment.		 Ein Termin hat nicht vereinbart werden können.
An appointment could not be arranged.
[haben in Present] + [past participle] + werden + [modal verb infinitive]
Past Perfect
Er hatte den Computer ausschalten müssen.
He had had to turn off the computer.
Der Computer hatte ausgeschaltet werden müssen.
The computer had had to be turned off.
[haben in Simple Past] + [past participle] + werden + [modal verb infinitive]

In the perfect tenses, the auxiliary verb haben is used because the auxiliary verb of modal verb is employed. The auxiliary verb for können, müssen, and every single modal verb, is haben.

Future Perfect

The Future Perfect introduces a number of pecuilarities and gets a section of its own.

Important Note: It should already be clear that the perfect tenses with modal verbs in the passive voice is awkward and best avoided. This is especially so with the Future Perfect and is seldom used, perhaps only academically. Avoid using this form for the sake of your sanity.

First of all, it can be formed with two methods. The first method is how a native speaker would likely write it and should be preferred.

Active Passive
Future Perfect (Natural)
Der Mann wird den Apfel gegessen haben müssen.
The man will have to have eaten the apple.		 Der Apfel wird gegessen worden sein müssen.
The apple will have to have been eaten.
[werden for future] + [past participle] + worden + sein + [modal verb infinitive]

This manner of forming the Future Perfect is relatively intuitive in the passive voice (and active voice). If you look at an example without a modal verb, for example:

  Der Apfel wird gegessen worden sein.

Then you can see that the modal verb müssen was simply attached to the end of the clause.

The second method is strictly technical (or "academic") and almost never encountered by native speakers. Notice the change that will occur in the active voice too.

Active Passive
Future Perfect (Academic)
Der Mann wird den Apfel haben essen müssen.
The man will have to have eaten the apple.		 Der Apfel wird haben gegessen werden müssen.
The apple will have to have been eaten.
[werden for future] + haben + [past participle] + werden + [modal verb infinitive]

This method introduces another aspect of the double infinitive: it must always be placed at the end of a clause, including subordinate clauses. This means that the auxiliary verb used to form the Future Perfect (haben), which is derived from the original finite verb, in this case müssen, is placed before the double infinitive.

The passive voice version additionally introduces the fact that one replaces the “active infinitive” with the “passive infinitive” to form the passive voice. Thus, in our example, the active infinitive of essen is replaced with the passive infinitive of gegessen werden.

It should be once more stressed that German native speakers would give you a strange look if you used this method, so if you were in the pecuilar situation of having to use the Future Perfect with a modal verb, then the first method should be used.

Further Content about Passive Voice

Passive Voice - Modal Verbs (current article)

Last Updated: 29 March 2018

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