Modal Verbs

MODAL VERBS
Los Verbos Modales

MODAL
EXAMPLES
USES
He can find any street in London.
Ability
CAN
You can take a taxi.

Can you take me to Victoria Station?
Suggestion
Request
BE ABLE TO
He is able to find any street in London.
Ability
That story cant be true.
Certainty that something is

impossible
I could play tennis when I was younger.
Ability
Could you take me to Victoria Station?.

You could take a taxi.
Request
Suggestion
It may be quicker to travel by train.
Possibility
May I come in?.
Formal request
MIGHT
It might be quicker to travel by train.
Possibility
MUST
You must be back at 10 oclock.

Look at the snow. It must be cold outside.
Obligation
Certainty that something is true
HAVE TO
You have to be back at 10 oclock.
Obligation
NEED TO
You need to study a lot.
Obligation
NEEDNT
You neednt have a university degree.
Lack of obligation
MUSTNT
You mustnt drive without a licence.
Prohibition
DONT HAVE TO
You dont have to call a taxi.
Lack of obligation
SHOULD
You should drive more carefully
Opinion / Advice
OUGHT TO
You ought to drive more carefully
Opinion / Advice
CANT
COULD
MAY
CARACTERSTICAS DE ESTOS VERBOS:

No llevan -s en la tercera persona del singular del presente simple.
No necesitan -do o -does para formar la negativa ni la interrogativa.
Nunca llevan infinitivo con to detrs, excepto be able to, need to, have to y ought to..
No tienen infinitivo, participio ni tiempos compuestos.
NOTA: Los verbos have to y need to tambin se consideran verbos semimodales porque no
cumplen todas las caractersticas propias de los verbos modales.
CAN / BE ABLE TO
CAN se auxilia de be able to en los tiempos de que carece, y tiene muchos usos:
a) Para expresar habilidad o capacidad: saber, poder.
b) Con acciones que empiezan en el pasado pero todava tienen continuidad en el presente.
c) Para hacer peticiones, dar y pedir permiso de manera informal.
d) Para indicar posibilidad:
We can do that later. (Podemos hacer eso luego).
En negativa tiene, adems de estos, otros dos usos:
e) Para expresar deduccin.
f ) Para indicar prohibicin.
You cant smoke here. (No puedes fumar aqu).
BE ABLE TO tambin indica habilidad y posibilidad como can, pero en los tiempos que le faltan
a este verbo modal.
Will you be able to do it before six oclock?. (Podrs hacerlo antes de las 6?)
COULD
a) Se usa para expresar habilidad y capacidad en el pasado.
b) Para hacer peticiones o pedir un favor de manera ms formal que con can.
c) Para hacer sugerencias.
d) Para indicar posibilidad, pero dando a entender que es ms remota que si usamos can.
We could go on friday afternoon.. (Podramos ir el viernes por la tarde).
MAY / MIGHT
a) Ambos verbos expresan la posibilidad de que algo ocurra en el presente o en el futuro, sin
ser seguro. Como hemos visto antes, can tambin expresa posibilidad pero denota que las
circunstancias reales lo permiten.
b) May tambin se utiliza para pedir y dar permiso de una forma ms educada que con can.
MUST / HAVE TO
Must slo tiene presente, as que para el resto de los tiempos se usa have to.
a) Los dos verbos expresan necesidad y obligacin, pero con must la necesidad es ms fuerte.
Cuando queremos suavizar la frase utilizamos have to.
You must take a decision as soon as possible. (Debes tomar una decisin lo antes posible)
She has to work tomorrow. (Tiene que trabajar maana)
b) Must sirve para expresar una conclusin lgica.
NEED TO / NEEDNT
a) Need to expresa obligacin o necesidad.
b) Neednt indica ausencia de obligacin o necesidad.
MUSTNT / DONT HAVE TO

a) Mustnt indica prohibicin.
b) Dont have to tiene un valor totalmente distinto pues significa ausencia de necesidad, igual
que neednt.
You dont have to wash the dishes. (No tienes por qu lavar los platos / no es necesario).
SHOULD / OUGHT TO
a) Se pueden utilizar indistintamente para dar consejos y hacer recomendaciones, aunque
should es mucho ms frecuente. Ought to apenas se usa en negativa e interrogativa.
MODAL PERFECTS
Los Verbos Modales Perfectos
MODAL
EXAMPLES
USES
MUST HAVE
The driver must have lost his way.
A certainty or logical
conclusion about an event in
the past.
MIGHT / MAY HAVE
She might / may have bought a new car.
A guess about something which

happened in the past.
COULD HAVE
You could have avoided that accident.
The ability to do something in

the past, but which in the end
was not done.
COULDNT HAVE
He couldnt have known about the

problem.
A certainty that something did

not happen.
SHOULD HAVE
He should have listened to me.

They should have won the competition.
Advice which was not followed

in the past.
Expectations which were not
fulfilled in the past.
SHOULDNT HAVE
You shouldnt have gone on foot.
Criticism that was given after

an event.
Must have + participio

Se usa para expresar certeza o una conclusin lgica sobre un hecho pasado.
Might / May have + participio

Se usa para hacer una prediccin sobre algo pasado.
Could have + participio

Indica que hubo la posibilidad de haber hecho algo en el pasado pero que finalmente no se
hizo.
Couldnt have + participio

En negativa expresa la imposibilidad de que el hecho enunciado se realizara.
Should have + participio

Se usa para lamentar que algo no ocurriera en el pasado y que no se haya cumplido
lo que esperbamos.
Shouldnt have + participio

Con este modal expresamos nuestra opinin crtica sobre un hecho pasado indicando que no
debera haber ocurrido.

Modal Verbs

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Modal Verbs

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MODAL VERBS

Los Verbos Modales

He can find any street in London.

You can take a taxi.

He is able to find any street in London.

That story cant be true.

Certainty that something is

I could play tennis when I was younger.

Could you take me to Victoria Station?.

It may be quicker to travel by train.

May I come in?.

It might be quicker to travel by train.

You must be back at 10 oclock.

You have to be back at 10 oclock.

You need to study a lot.

You neednt have a university degree.

You mustnt drive without a licence.

You dont have to call a taxi.

You should drive more carefully

You ought to drive more carefully

CARACTERSTICAS DE ESTOS VERBOS:

MUSTNT / DONT HAVE TO

The driver must have lost his way.

MIGHT / MAY HAVE

She might / may have bought a new car.

A guess about something which

You could have avoided that accident.

The ability to do something in

He couldnt have known about the

A certainty that something did

He should have listened to me.

Advice which was not followed

You shouldnt have gone on foot.

Criticism that was given after

Must have + participio

Might / May have + participio

Could have + participio

Couldnt have + participio

Should have + participio

Shouldnt have + participio

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