dürfen meaning and definition in german

Verb

Frequency:

irregular, third-person singular simple present darf, past tense durfte, past participle gedurft, auxiliary haben

1. auxiliary, infinitive replaces past participle To be allowed (to do something); to be permitted (to do something); may. Darf ich gehen? — “May I go?” Ich habe gehen dürfen. — “I was allowed to go.”
2. or, transitive, past participle as above To be allowed or permitted to do something implied or previously stated; may. Ja, du darfst. — “Yes, you may.” Ich habe es gedurft. — “I was allowed [to do] it.”
3. subjunctive present, modal auxiliary verb Expresses that something is estimated or probable.