Modal verbs differ from other verbs in that they serve as auxiliary verbs (see Mini-dictionary) and are followed by a verb in the infinitive. Modal verbs also tell us about the way in which something happens, or they indicate an attitude to what is being described in the sentence.
The following verbs are modal verbs: kunne (can), skulle (shall), ville (will), burde (ought), turde (dare), måtte (may) og gide (choose to/care to/be bothered to).
| Jeg skal komme. | I have to come. |
| Bilen kan ikke starte. | The car will not start. |
| Du bør lave lektier. | You ought to do homework. |
Modal verbs may conjugate in time like all other verbs.
| Jeg har kunnet løbe 10 km på en time. | Once I was able to run 10 km in an hour. |
| I fremtiden vil vi arbejde meget hårdt for at tjene penge. | In the future we will work very hard to earn money. |
Comparison:
In English the modal verb is used as in Danish. However, unlike the Danish modal verbs, the English modals cannot conjugate in all tenses, but only in the present and past tenses.