German word

dürfen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈdʏʁfən/

Meaning

  • verbmay, be allowed to

Example

Du darfst hier rauchen.

You may smoke here.

Illustration for dürfen (may)

More examples

Wir dürfen heute länger im Garten spielen.

We are allowed to play in the garden a little longer today.

Sie dürfen den Raum jetzt betreten.

You may enter the room now.

Core concept

A person stands at an open gate with explicit permission to pass.

Common phrases

  • Kinder dürfen hier spielen

    Children may play here

  • Die Schüler dürfen früher gehen

    The students may leave earlier

Similar words

können: Shows that someone is able to do something.
erlauben: Grants permission for someone to do something.
müssen: Shows that someone has to do something.
sollen: Recommends that someone do something.

Definition in German

Drückt aus, dass jemand die Erlaubnis hat, etwas zu tun.

Word origin

German dürfen descends from Old High German durfan and Proto-Germanic *þurfaną, whose earlier sense related to needing before developing into a permission modal.

Usage tips

  • After dürfen, another verb appears as a bare infinitive, as in Du darfst hier rauchen, without zu.

Opposites

Word lists with this word