Modal Verbs

Licenciatura en Turismo
Facultad de Ciencias Humanas
UNLPam
 Modal verb: Definition

 It is a type of auxiliary verb that is used to give extra information –likelihood, permission,
ability, possibility- about the main verb.

List of modal verbs

Can Shall
Could Should
May Have to
Might Must
Will Ought to
Would Be allowed to
 Modal verbs: affirmative form
Subject Modal verb Main verb (infinitive always) Complement

I must go on holidays

You eat some Thai food

can

He should drink a typical drink

She go scuba diving

have to / has to

It might visit Versailles

We may travel to Oceania

They stay at the hotel

Will
 Modal verbs: negative form
Subject Modal verb Main verb (infinitive always) Complement

I mustn’t go on holidays

You can’t eat some Thai food

shouldn’t
He drink a typical drink

She don’t have to / go scuba diving

doesn’t have to

It might not visit Versailles

We may not travel to Oceania

They will not stay at the hotel

 Modal verbs: question form
Modal verb Subject Main verb (infinitive Complement
always)
I go on holidays
Must
You eat some Thai food
Can

Should He drink a typical drink

Might She go scuba diving

May
It visit Versailles
Could
We travel to Oceania
Will
They stay at the hotel
 Modal verb: question form
Modal verb Subject Modal verb Main verb Complement
(infinitive always)
I have to go on holidays

You eat some Thai

food
Do / Does
He drink a typical drink

She go scuba diving

Are / is /am
It visit Versailles

We allowed to travel to Oceania

They stay at the hotel

 Modal verbs: some considerations:

 Modal verbs don’t add “s” in the third person singular

 The main verb after the modal always goes in the infinitive form (does not add “s” or “ed”.
 Modal verbs do not require auxiliaries to form the negative and the questions. EX:
 She should stay
 She doesn’t should travel She shouldn’t travel
 Why does she stay ? Why should she stay

 Modal do not have -ing forms or infinitives

 Ex: coulding to could

He could be working
 Modal verbs: how to use them

Can
Use Example
Ability I can trek for 10 hours
Possibility We can stay in London for 5 days
Asking for permission Can I go smoke a cigarette inside the Sistine chapel?

Request Can you help me?

Strong obligation You can’t carry dangerous objects on board.
prohibition We can’t go inside the chapel
 Modal verbs: how to use them

Could

Use Example:

Permission Could I borrow your dictionary?

Request Could you say it again slowly?

Possibility I think we could do another tour

Ability in the past He could run 5 km every day.

Modal verbs: How to use them

Must / have to
Strong obligation Cabin crew must stay calm during an
emergency.
you have to check in two hours before
the departure time.
Do you have to check in two hours
before the departure time?
Should / shouldn’t
We use should / shouldn’t for strong Cabin crew should be friendly and
recommendation good team workers.
You shouldn’t drink too much coffee
or tea during the flight.
Modal verbs: how to use them

Mustn’t = must not

Strong obligation You must not stand up as the plane
takes off or lands.

Don’t have to / doesn’t have to

For something that is not necessary A flight attendant does not have to
know how to fly a plane.
Modal verbs: how to use them

Be allowed to
Permission I am allowed to move on the plane after taking off.
You are allowed to move on the plane after taking off.
Is he allowed to move on the plane after taking off?
Prohibition She isn’t allowed to phone on the plane.
It isn’t allowed to phone on the plane.
We aren’t allowed to move while taking off.
They aren’t allowed to move while taking off.