UNDERSTANDING MODAL
VERBS IN ENGLISH
A GUIDE TO MASTERING MODAL VERBS
MODAL VERBS
• Modals are different from normal verbs:
1: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular.
2: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?').
3: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to’).
4: Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions: permission, possibility, impossibility…
Here's a list of the modal verbs in English:
can could may might will (have to / be able to / ought to)
would must shall should ought to
PERMISSION
• We use can to give permission:
You can go home now.
You can borrow my pen if you like.
• We use can to say that someone has permission to do something:
We can go out whenever we want.
Students can travel for free.
We use can't to refuse permission or say that someone does not have permission:
You can't go home yet.
Students can't travel for free.
PERMISSION
• We use can to ask for permission to do something:
Can I ask a question, please?
Can we go home now?
• Could is more formal and polite than can, also may:
May I ask a question please?
Could we go home now?
Be allow to also express permission
POSSIBILITY AND IMPOSSIBILITY (PRESENT)
• We use could to show that something is possible, but not certain:
They could come by car. (= Maybe they will come by car.)
They could be at home. (= Maybe they are at home.)
• We use can to make general statements about what is possible:
It can be very cold here in winter. (= It is sometimes very cold here in winter.)
You can easily get lost in this town. (= People often get lost in this town.)
We use may, when we are not sure about something in the present or future. Might is more formal:
Jack may be coming to see us tomorrow.
POSSIBILITY AND IMPOSSIBILITY (PAST)
• We use could have to make guesses about the past:
It's ten o'clock. They could have arrived by now.
Where are they? They could have got lost.
• We use could to make general statements about the past:
It could be very cold there in winter. (= It was sometimes very cold there in winter.)
You could easily get lost in that town. (= People often got lost in that town.)
We use can't have or couldn't have to say that a past event was impossible:
They know the way here. They can't have got lost! / If Jones was at work until six, he couldn't have done the
murder.
POSSIBILITY AND IMPOSSIBILITY (PRESENT)
• We use can't or cannot to say that something is impossible:
That can't be true.
You cannot be serious.
ABILITY
• We use can and can't to talk about someone's skill or general abilities, at a specific time in the
present:
She can speak several languages. I can see you.
He can swim like a fish. Help! I can't breathe.
• CAN = present
• COULD = past
• BE ABLE TO = all other tenses: In two years I will be able to drive a car.
ABILITY
We use could and couldn't to talk about ability the past:
She could speak several languages.
They couldn't dance very well.
We use could have to say that someone had the ability or opportunity to do something,
but did not do it:
She could have learned Swahili, but she didn't want to.
I could have danced all night. [but I didn't]
SUGGESTIONS AND OBLIGATIONS
• We use should and shouldn't to make suggestions and give advice:
You should send an email. You shouldn’t go by train.
• We also use could to make positive suggestions:
We could meet at the weekend. You could eat out tonight.
