Verbos Modales:

CONSIDERACIONES INICIALES

Curiosidades del los verbos modales

• Siempre tienen la misma forma, no adoptan terminaciones como “–ed”,
ni presentan la forma “–ing”. Tampoco llevan “s” de 3ª persona del
singular. No se construyen en fututo.
• Funcionan como auxiliares porque modifican el significado del verbo
principal, así que no necesitan auxiliares como “do”, “did”.
• Pueden ir delante del sujeto en oraciones interrogativas:
"May I come in?”
• No pueden llevar “to” ni delante ni detrás, excepto las formas “be able
to”, “have to”, “ought to” y “used to”
• En las formas negativas añaden “n’t” y “not” después de ellos.
Ejemplos: "mustn't" – “shouldn’t” - "needn't".

¿Cuándo usamos los verbos modales?

• Cuando queremos expresar la capacidad o incapacidad, posibilidad o
imposibilidad, la sugerencia, conjetura, suposición, prohibición, permiso,
obligación, etc.
Matices de significado que se añaden al infinitivo del verbo al que acompañan.

Formas simples

Sujeto + modal + infinitivo + complementos

Formas compuestas
La estructura que empleamos para expresar la posibilidad o imposibilidad,
conjetura, suposición, etc. en pasado es la compuesta:

Sujeto + modal perfecto = (modal +have+participio) + complementos

• Ejemplos en presente. Aquí empleamos la forma simple; nos va a servir

para contrastarla con la compuesta:

- It might rain tomorrow, it’s very cloudy

Podría llover mañana, está muy nublado

- It is quite far. You shouldn´t go on foot.

Está bastante lejos. No deberías ir a pie.

• Ejemplos similares haciendo referencia al pasado; esta es la forma

compuesta:

- It might have rained, the pavement was still wet.

Podría haber llovido, la acera aún estaba mojada.

- I told you it was quite far. You shouldn´t have gone on foot.
Te dije que estaba bastante lejos. No deberías haber ido a pie.
Modal Verbs expressing Obligation &
Necessity:
MUST – HAVE TO – NEED TO – DON´T HAVE TO

Observa las siguientes oraciones:

- We have to know daily what the prices are.

Tenemos que conocer a diario cuáles son los precios.

- Every day Robinson has to fax his opinion on the politics.

Todos los días Robinson tiene que faxear su opinión sobre la política.

En ambos ejemplos el verbo modal have to se usa para expresar una obligación.
Pero no todos los niveles de obligación tienen la misma intensidad. Para expresar
diferentes Grados de Obligación, puedes utilizar los siguientes verbos modales:

OBLIGACION OBLIGACION AUSENCIA DE

o NECESIDAD MODERADA OBLIGACION
o CONSEJO o NECESIDAD

have to should / shouldn't don't have to

must / mustn't ought to needn't
need to

• MUST se usa para hablar acerca de lo que nosotros consideramos

que es importante:

- I must finish this today. (I would like to start working on the new
project tomorrow)
Debo terminar esto hoy. (Me gustaría comenzar a trabajar en el nuevo proyecto
mañana)

Must sólo tiene presente, así que para el resto de los tiempos se usa have to.

• MUSTN´T indica prohibición expresa de hacer algo:

- You mustn´t drive without a licence. (It´s forbidden)

No debes conducir sin permiso. (Está prohibido)

• HAVE TO se usa preferentemente para hablar acerca de una

obligación impuesta desde afuera, externa a nosotros. También para
normas y reglamentos.
 - I have to attend a meeting. (The boss has asked me to attend the
meeting).
Tengo que asistir a una reunión. (El jefe me ha pedido que asista a la reunión).

• NEED TO: Tener que (“necesitar” es el significado como verbo

normal). Expresa obligación o necesidad.

- Need I bring something to the party?

¿Tengo que traer algo a la fiesta?

• SHOULD / OUGHT TO: Se pueden utilizar indistintamente para dar

consejos y hacer recomendaciones, aunque should es mucho más
frecuente. Ought to apenas se usa en negativa e interrogativa.

- I must finish this today. (I would like to start working on the new
project tomorrow)
Debo terminar esto hoy. (Me gustaría comenzar a trabajar en el nuevo proyecto
mañana)

• DON´T HAVE TO / NEEDN´T: Se pueden utilizar indistintamente

para indicar ausencia de obligación o necesidad (“no tienes que”, “no
es necesario que”, “no hace falta que”), lo cual no indica que esté
prohibido realizar esa acción, por lo que tienen un valor totalmente
distinto de mustn´t.

- You don´t have to wash the dishes. (But if you want, you can)
No tienes que lavar los platos. (Pero si quieres, puedes)

Don´t have to – Needn´t vs. Mustn´t

- You mustn´t drive without a licence. (It´s forbidden)

No debes conducir sin permiso. (Está prohibido)

- You don´t have to drive. There is a bus service. (But if you prefer
going by car, you can)
No hace falta que conduzcas. Hay servicio de autobús. (Pero si prefieres ir en
coche, puedes)

1. Fill in the gaps using MUST – MUSTN´T – NEEDN´T – DON´T HAVE TO

 Mother: You ___ take an umbrella. It isn’t going to rain.

Son: Well, I don’t know. It might rain.

Mother: Well, look after it, please. You ___ lose it.
  Mervyn: Come on. We ___ hurry. We ___ be late.

Isabel: It’s only ten past. We ___ hurry. We’ve got lots of time.

 Pupil: Jason and I are just going for a walk.

Teacher: No, you ___ go off on your own. I want you all
together.

 Sandra: I’ll put these glasses in the dishwasher

Natalie: No, you ___ put them in there. They might break. In
fact, we ___ wash them all. We didn’t use them.

 Secretary: I ___ forget to type this letter.

Boss: It ___ go in the post today because it’s urgent. But the
report isn’t so important. You ___ type the report today.

2. Fill in the gaps using SHOULD – SHOULDN´T – OUGHT TO

A: I ___ do some work, but I’ll just have a cigarette first.

B: Don’t you know cigarettes are bad for you? You ___ smoke.

A: I know. I ___ give it up. I ___ smoke but I can’t help it. I try to
forget about what it’s doing to me.

B: There’s an article about smoking in this magazine. You ___

read it. You really ___ stop, you know. You ___ put your health at
risk.

3. Fill in MUST – MUSTN´T – HAVE TO – DON´T HAVE TO – SHOULD –

OUGHT TO – NEED – NEEDN´T in the correct form.

Yesterday when I was at the museum a fire broke out. We ______

leave the building. We were told that we ______ panic as it was a small
fire, but that we ______ all go outside. In the end, they were able to
put out the fire and they ______ call the fire brigade. Unfortunately,
one of the rooms ______ to be painted again as the smoke damaged it.
The police said that the museum ______ have better security and that
all visitors ______ make sure they know where the fire exits are.

4. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the

first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.

a. Is it necessary for me to bring my passport?

HAVE TO
_____________________________________________________
b. An aerial is not required with this radio.
NEEDN´T
_____________________________________________________

c. You´re not allowed to park here.

MUSTN´T
_____________________________________________________

d. It would be a good idea for Harry to take a holiday.

OUGHT TO
_____________________________________________________

e. What would you advise me to do?

HAVE TO
_____________________________________________________

f. Do I need a different driving licence for a motorbike?

HAVE TO
_____________________________________________________

g. You needn´t come with me if you don´t want to.

DON´T HAVE TO
_____________________________________________________

h. Caroline isn´t allowed to come to the party.

MUSTN´T
_____________________________________________________

i. You don´t spend enough time on your work.

MUST
_____________________________________________________
Modal Verbs expressing Certainty &
Uncertainty:
MAY – MIGHT

• MAY / MIGHT expresan posibilidad en el presente o en el futuro.

- Take your umbrella as it might rain.

Coge el paraguas porque podría llover.
- We may go to Paris on holiday.
Puede que vayamos a París de vacaciones.

• Usamos MIGHT/MAY para indicar que NO ESTAMOS SEGUROS sobre

algo.
Resulta equivalente a usar “perhaps” o “maybe”.

- Perhaps, it will rain ----------> It might/may rain

- Maybe, Renzo will get married ------------> Renzo might get married.

• MIGHT expresa menos posibilidad o certeza que MAY

- This may be Mary’s car, she always parks it around here.

Puede que éste sea el coche de Mary, siempre lo aparca por aquí.
IT´S LIKELY
- We might have a salary raise, but it is not confirmed.
Podríamos tener un aumento de sueldo, pero no está confirmado.
IT´S LESS LIKELY

• La forma negativa es may not (mayn´t) o might not (mightn´t)

- Perhaps, Linda won't come to the party ---------> Linda might not
(mightn´t) come to the party.
1. Fill in the gaps using MAY – MIGHT in the correct form.

a. I don´t know. I ______ go to the party. I´m tired.

b. I´m going to take a coat. It ______ be cold later.
c. They ______ want to come but you can invite them.
d. I think he ______ win. He´s on good form at the moment.
e. We ______ sell this house and move to the country. We´re
thinking about it.

2. Match the sentences in the two columns.

Where are your

keys?

Lily called. She said

…

Why are you taking

an umbrella?

You should buy the

tickets today. If you
don´t …
Who´s that

What´s in the
parcel?

It might be Karen´s
brother. She said
he was coming.
… there might not
be any left.
 It might be the
books I ordered
online.

They might be in
my bag.

The forecast said it

might rain.

… she might be
late.

3. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the

first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.

a. It´s possible that she doesn´t know about it.

MIGHT
_____________________________________________________

b. Perhaps he doesn´t receive the letter before the meeting.

MAY
_____________________________________________________

c. It´S possible that I meet you at the party.

MAY
_____________________________________________________

d. It´s quite likely that the weather is better tomorrow.

MAY
_____________________________________________________

e. A: Where is Bob? // B: I´m not sure. Probably he is having lunch.

MIGHT
_____________________________________________________

f. A: Shall we buy this book for Tim? // B: We shouldn´t. It´s quite

possible that he already ahs it.
MAY
_____________________________________________________

Modal Verbs expressing Obligation &

Necessity – Certainty & Uncertainty:
GENERAL PRACTICE
1. From the choices provided after each sentence select the verb that
would correctly complete the sentence.

1. That ice is dangerously thin now. You ___ go ice-skating today.

a. mustn´t b. might not c. should

2. It´s way past your bedtime and you look really tired. You ___ go
to bed.
a. ought to b. may c. shouldn´t

3. It´s strange. Our bus is always on time. There ___ be a traffic

jam.
a. might b. need to c. should

4. I know it´s crazy but I ___ leave the city if I don´t get the job.
a. must b. might c. have to

5. Professor Hudson, we´ve finished the exercise. ___ do anything

else?
a. do we have to b. must we c. might we

6. In this school student´s ___ smoke.

a. mustn´t b. should c. needn´t

7. I ___ see you later if I finish my work, but I´m not sure about it.
a. may b. might c. should

8. Don´t worry, you ___ pay now.

a. have to b. don´t have to c. need to

9. In my opinion, the government ___ do something about this.

a. should b. oughtn´t to c. don´t have to

10. We ___ go to Prague for Christmas this year. It´s almost

decided.
a. might b. mustn´t c. may

11. Sorry I´m late, I ___ take the children to school.

a. had to b. must c. may

12. It´s possible that I see her tomorrow because I ___ go to

her office.
a. don´t have to b. may c. must

13. You ___ clean the floor now; the cleaning lady can do it
tomorrow.
a. mustn´t b. needn´t c. shouldn´t
2. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the
first sentence.

You aren´t allowed to use a bicycle inside the gardens.

MUST
You _________________________________________________________________

Yesterday, the children stayed at home because it was

snowing heavily.
DIDN´T HAVE TO
Yesterday, the
children___________________________________________________

I’m not sure that she is his girlfriend.

MIGHT
She _________________________________________________________________

“Why don’t you go to the town centre?, she said.

SHOULD
“You _________________________________________________________________

Smoking is forbidden in hospitals.

MUST
You _________________________________________________________________

Maybe John is doing the shopping.

MAY
John _________________________________________________________________

You are not obliged to answer to those questions.

NEEDN´T
You _________________________________________________________________

It would be a good idea to buy a dictionary if you want to

learn a foreign language.
SHOULD
You _________________________________________________________________

There´s a small possibility that the government put prices

down if the European Community reaches an agreement.
MIGHT
The
government________________________________________________________

Drinking is forbidden in here.

MUST
You _________________________________________________________________
Maybe the postman will arrive soon.
MAY
The
postman__________________________________________________________

"My advice is that you shouldn't dress too casually" she said
to him.
SHOULD
“You ________________________________________________________________

Is it necessary for me to pay for my ticket now?

HAVE TO
Do __________________________________________________________________?

There is no need to walk. John will give us a lift.

NEEDN´T
We _________________________________________________________________

Maybe my boyfriend is coming to see me tonight

MAY
My
boyfriend_____________________________________________________________

It isn’t necessary to buy me a gift

NEEDN´T
You _________________________________________________________________