Sollen

Sollen is a German modal verb that expresses obligation, duty, or expectation, and is often translated as should or ought to in English. It indicates that someone or something is supposed to perform an action, whether due to a rule, a plan, or someone’s command. It can denote external obligation or a recommended course of action. It is used with the infinitive of another verb: for example, Du sollst mehr Wasser trinken (You should drink more water); Er soll heute kommen (He is to come today / He should come today). In subordinate clauses or in indirect speech it commonly appears in Konjunktiv I: Er sagt, er solle kommen. For past references, German uses the perfect with habe + infinitive: Ich habe arbeiten sollen (I was supposed to work). The Konjunktiv II form, sollte, is used for hypothetical or polite nuance: Ich sollte früher gehen (I should have left earlier / I would have left earlier).

Sollen differs from müssen in that soll expresses an obligation or expectation imposed by another person or by social norms, whereas müssen conveys a stronger internal or unavoidable necessity. Wollen represents desire or intention rather than obligation.

As a noun, das Sollen denotes normative obligation or the ought itself, a concept frequently discussed in ethics and philosophy. It is contrasted with das Wollen (will) and das Können (ability). The term derives from Old High German sollan and is cognate with English shall and Dutch zullen. In philosophical contexts, das Sollen is used to analyze duties, rules, and normative claims that guide action.