Deutsch · A2 · verb · 4 minutes
Sollen: present tense
Report an instruction, recommendation, or expectation from another source.
Understand the choice
Sollen often points beyond the speaker to a rule, instruction, or report. This distinguishes du sollst from du musst: one relays what is expected, the other presents necessity.
Core rule: Sollen uses soll- in singular and reports what someone expects, instructs, or claims.
Notice it in context
Der Arzt sagt, ich soll mehr Wasser trinken.
The doctor says I should drink more water.
Soll agrees with ich inside the reported instruction; trinken remains final.
Sollen wir um acht Uhr kommen?
Are we supposed to come at eight?
Sollen begins a question asking what is expected.
Der neue Film soll sehr gut sein.
The new film is said to be very good.
Soll marks reported reputation rather than personal evidence.
What to remember
- Was soll ich tun? asks what action is expected or advisable.
- The reportative use can translate is said to.
Common trap: Do not treat sollen and müssen as perfect synonyms; sollen frequently carries another person’s expectation.