mögest

Mögest is a German verb form belonging to the verb mögen. It is the second-person singular form of Konjunktiv I (the subjunctive mood): ich möge, du mögest, er möge, wir mögen, ihr möget, Sie mögen. This form is not a separate word with its own meaning but a grammatical inflection used to express mood rather than tense.

Usage and context:

Mögest is primarily used in indirect or reported speech to reproduce someone else’s words in a formal or written style. For example: Er sagte, du mögest kommen. In this context the form signals reported content rather than a direct statement. The konjunktiv I form is common in journalism, legal or official writing, and literary prose.

Mögest can also appear in older or poetic German as an optative or wish, though this is rare in modern everyday language. A sentence such as Mögest du glücklich sein would be an archaic or stylistic wish rather than contemporary standard speech.

Relation to the base verb:

Mögt and magst are the modern indicative forms used to express liking or preference (du magst). Mögest does not have an independent meaning of its own; it is specifically the subjunctive form used to convey mood. The verb mögen itself can mean “to like,” “to be allowed,” or “to may,” depending on context.

Etymology:

Mögen descends from Old High German mugēn, sharing roots with related Germanic forms that express ability, permission, or liking. The Konjunktiv I forms, including mögest, preserve this historical mood in contemporary German grammar.