müssten

Müssten is the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) form of the German verb müssen. It is used to express hypothetical necessity or obligation, often in conditional clauses, or to soften statements and give polite advice. It contrasts with müssen (real obligation) and with the Würden-Müssen construction, which can sound more distant or neutral.

In the present subjunctive, the forms are: ich müsste, du müsstest, er müsste, wir müssten, ihr müsstet, sie müssten. The plural forms wir/müssten and sie/Sie müssten are identical in form, while the singular differs (ich müsste, du müsstest, er müsste). Müssten can appear in main clauses to signal a conditional obligation, and in if-clauses to describe what would be required under certain conditions. For example: Ich müsste heute Abend früher gehen. Wenn ich mehr Geld hätte, müsste ich mir kein Auto kaufen.

Past and more complex uses are formed with auxiliary constructions rather than a simple past form. The common way to express a past hypothetical obligation is mit dem Perfekt oder dem Konjunktiv II der Vergangenheit, z. B. ich hätte gemusst oder ich hätte müssen, depending on context. In everyday speech, speakers often prefer the Würden-Müssen construction (ich würde müssen) to express a similar idea, especially to avoid forms that sound overly formal.

Müssten thus serves to convey hypothetische Notwendigkeit, conditional obligations, or courteous suggestions, distinct from the real obligation expressed by müssen.