mögen

From Middle High German mugen, from Old High German mugan, from Proto-West Germanic *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą, from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-.

Compare Dutch mogen, English may, Icelandic mega, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽 (magan), Serbo-Croatian moći, Bulgarian мога (moga).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmøːɡən/, [ˈmøːɡən], [ˈmøːɡŋ̩]

• (file)

• (Austria)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -øːɡən

mögen (preterite-present, third-person singular present mag, past tense mochte, past participle gemocht, past subjunctive möchte, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive) to like (something or someone)

   Ich mag keinen Käse. ― I don't like cheese.

2. (intransitive) to want to go
3. (auxiliary, with infinitive) may (expresses a possibility with uncertainty)

   Das mag ja alles stimmen. ― That may all be true.

4. (auxiliary, in negation, with infinitive) to be hesitant to (do something)

   Ich mag sie nicht fragen. ― I am hesitant to ask her.

5. (auxiliary, in the present subjunctive, with infinitive) may (paraphrases the optative).

   Möge die Macht mit dir sein. ― May the Force be with you.

6. (transitive, in the past subjunctive) to want; would like (to have or to do something)

   Ich möchte Käse. ― I would like cheese.

   Ich möchte keinen Käse. ― I don't want cheese.

7. (auxiliary, in the past subjunctive, with infinitive) to want to; would like to; to wish to (do something)

   Ich möchte sie nicht fragen. ― I don't want to ask her.

8. (obsolete, auxiliary, with infinitive) to be able to, may, can

• As with all modal verbs, the past participle gemocht is used in the perfect tenses only when the verb is not followed by another infinitive: Käse habe ich noch nie gemocht. – “I've never liked cheese.” When an infinitive follows, mögen itself also stands in the infinitive (double infinitive construction): Ich habe sie nicht fragen mögen. – “I was hesitant to ask her.”
• Möchte and its forms are grammatically the past subjunctive of mögen, but are never used as such in contemporary German. The conditional of mögen needs to be paraphrased with würde: Wenn ich Käse mögen würde, könnte ich viel mehr Gerichte essen. – “If I liked cheese, I could eat many more dishes.”
• Möchte is in fact used as a somewhat more polite synonym of wollen (“to want”) in the present indicative: Wenn ich Käse möchte, sage ich dir bescheid. – “If I want cheese, I'll let you know.” (synonymous with: Wenn ich Käse will,...). In colloquial German, the split between mögen and möchte is so clear-cut that the latter may be interpreted as an independent verb and hence used in the infinitive: Du hast hier gar nix zu möchten! – “You're not in the position to express wishes!” This is, however, nonstandard.
• In regional speech, the present indicative of mögen may be used interchangeably with möchte, particularly in questions: Magst du was trinken? – “Would you like something to drink?” This is normal in Austro-Bavarian areas. In most other regions it is less common.

• möglich
• vermögen

• → Central Franconian: müjje

• “mögen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “mögen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “mögen” in Duden online
• “mögen” in OpenThesaurus.de
• “mögen” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

• mägen
• mügen (Paderbornisch)

From Middle Low German mȫgen, from Old Saxon mugan.

Compare German mögen, Dutch mogen, English may, Icelandic mega, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽 (magan).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmœːɣən/, /ˈmœː.ŋ/ (Mecklenburg, Pomerania, Brandenburg, conservative dialects in northern Lower Saxony)
• IPA^(key): /ˈmøːɣən/, /ˈmøː.ŋ/ (Eastphalia, Lippe, less conservative dialects in northern Lower Saxony)

mögen (third-person singular simple present mag, past tense much, past participle mucht, auxiliary verb hebben)

1. (auxiliary) may, can, be allowed to.

   He mag düt Johr nich in de Ferien föhren.

   He isn't allowed to drive during the vacation this year.

2. (auxiliary) used to express presumption, often used as the English should

   Dat mag al Klock söven wesen!

   It should already be 7 o'clock!

3. (auxiliary) to wish to, to would like to

   He mag geern fröh opwaken

   He has the intention to wake up early

4. (auxiliary) often used with glöven or seggen, emphasizes their meaning

   Dat magst du woll seggen!

   It is well said!

5. (transitive) to be allowed to have/take, to may have (used as a polite way to request something)

   Möögt wi en Glas Melk?

   May we have a glass of milk?

6. (transitive) To like.

   Ik mag em nich so geern.

   I don't like him that much.

The old subjunctive II form müch is used to express a wish. It can also be used along with an infinitive with the meaning "to want, would like, wish".

• (may): könen, künnen
• (want): wüllen, wünschen
• (like): leefhebben