Grammatica - loco

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the double infinitive rule, see 11.8.2), but context always makes the meaning
clear:
Als ik het had moeten doen, zou ik geweigerd hebben.
If I had had to do it, I would have refused. (pluperfect)
Ik had het moeten doen maar ik had er geen zin in.
I should have done it but I didn’t feel like it. (conditional perfect).
See uses of zullen on 11.8.5.5.
11.8.4
Use of independent modals
There is one use of modals which differs considerably from English: kunnen,
moeten, mogen and willen often stand alone and the verb that follows in
English is simply implied in Dutch; this is particularly the case when the
implied verbs are doen, gaan, komen, hebben and worden:
Ik kan het niet. I can’t do it.
Dat moet. It’s necessary/That must be done.
Je mag naar binnen. You may go inside.
Hij zou het niet willen. He wouldn’t want to do (or to have) it.
Kan dat? Is that possible?
Mag dat? Is that allowed?
Dat hoeft niet. That’s not necessary (see 11.8.5.2)
11.8.5
11.8.5.1
Semantic difficulties with modals
kunnen
(a) As in English, kunnen ‘can’ and mogen ‘may’ are often confused, e.g.
‘Can I borrow your bicycle?’ should in prescriptive grammar read
‘May I borrow your bicycle?’ but in practice the semantic distinction
between the two is ignored, which is the case in Dutch too; Kan ik je
fiets even lenen? will often be heard instead of Mag ik je fiets even
lenen?
Also in other contexts English ‘may’ is sometimes rendered by
kunnen in Dutch:
Modal
auxiliary
verbs
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