Dürfen

Dürfen is a German modal verb that means to be allowed to or may. It expresses permission granted by an authority such as rules, laws, or social norms. Dürfen is used to ask for permission, to state what is permitted, or to describe obligations that depend on someone’s approval.

Conjugation and forms: In the present tense the forms are ich darf, du darfst, er darf, wir dürfen, ihr dürft, sie dürfen. In the simple past (Präteritum) it is ich durfte, du durftest, er durfte, wir durften, ihr durftet, sie durften. Dürfen also has a subjunctive for reported speech (Konjunktiv I): ich dürfe, du dürfest, er dürfe, wir dürften, ihr dürfet, sie dürften. The imperative forms are Darf! (du), Dürft! (ihr), and Dürfen Sie? (Sie).

Usage notes: Dürfen is typically followed by an infinitive to form a subordinate clause, e.g., Ich darf heute später gehen. In a sentence with another verb, the perfect tense is usually built with haben plus an infinitive, as in Ich habe heute lange arbeiten dürfen, meaning I have been allowed to work for a long time. Negation is accomplished with nicht oder kein; for example: Du darfst hier nicht parken (You must not park here).

Etymology and related terms: Dürfen comes from Old High German durf(n), related to the concept of permission rather than ability. It is contrasted with können (to be able to) and müssen (to have to), where dürfen governs permission rather than necessity.

In summary, dürfen governs what is permissible and is a core tool for expressing permission in German grammar, with distinct present and past forms and a nuanced use in reported speech.