MODAL VERBS EXPLANATION

Modal verbs: Can, Could, May, Might, Must, Shall, Should, Will, Would are used to express ability, obligation, permission,
assumptions, probability and possibility, requests and offers, and advice (Each modal verb can have more than one meaning
which depends on the context) . E.g You can go now. (= permission) / I can play the guitar. (= ability)
STRUCTURE WITH MODAL VERBS
Subject + Modal Verb + Verb (base form of the infinitive) and not conjugated (we don't add an 'S' in third person).
I can speak English (NOT: I can to ) He can speak Spanish (NOT: He can speaks) She can speak Spanish (NOT: She cans)

MODAL VERBS IN NEGATIVE SENTENCES (Modal verb + not are normally possible)
Subject + Modal Verb + not + Verb (base form of the infinitive)
You must not walk on the grass. (= You mustn't.) He cannot speak Arabic. (= He can't.) We should not be late. (= We shouldn't)

MODAL VERBS IN QUESTIONS

Modal Verb + Subject + Verb (base form of the infinitive)
May I help you? Can I have another piece of cake please? Would you like to come with us?

CAN : The three main uses of Can are: 1) ability 2) possibility and 3) permission.
Ability: Can means to be (physically) able to do something OR Possibility (in general): This refers to a theoretical possibility.
to know how to do something. Note: For future possibilities we would use may or might.

 Birds can fly. / Elephants can't fly.  I know you can win the competition.

To offer help someone or to do something for others 4. To ask for or give permission / To request something:

 You don't need to walk home. I can take you there if you  You can use my umbrella; I don't need it right now.
like.  Can I sit in that chair please?
 Can I carry your bags for you?  You can't go to the park. It will still be wet from the rain last night..

Can´t - Something that is forbidden or not allowed / refuse Can't: when you are sure that something isn't true, or something is
permission surprising

 You cannot drive a car without a license.  It can't be dark outside! It's only 4.30pm!
 They can't have landed on the moon, I'm sure it's a hoax.

COULD : is similar to Can and often replaces Can in the past tense (though not always)
Ability in the PAST To ask for permission or to request something politely

 He could read when he was three years old. (PRESENT)

 Could I please use your bathroom?

General permission in the PAST A suggestion when asked what to do (choices and

 In high school, we couldn't leave the classroom without a pass. opportunities)

We could go to the movies if you are interested.

5. Couldn't: Sure that something is untrue or unreal. PAST To express a possibility in the past (something was possible but
He couldn't have painted that. He has no artistic ability at all. did not happen) - Could + have + past participle

 We were lucky because it could have rained but it didn't.

Unrealized past ability (to say that someone was able to do Conditional form of Can ( Would + Can = Could.) here Would be
something, but they did not try to do it, as a form of criticism. able to can replace could .
Could + have + past participle:  If we had some oranges I could make you some fresh juice.
 She could have married anyone she wanted to.

MAY AND MIGHT

To express (future) possibility, There is a chance that something is To give permission
true or that there is a possibility of something happening.  If you have finished the exam, you may leave the room.
Note: Might is used more frequently than May in spoken English.
May not can be used to NOT give permission or to prohibit someone
 It might rain later (= it is possible that it will rain) from doing something.
 I might go to the movies tonight. (Though I'm not sure)  You may not park your car in front of the gate.

To ask for permission, Can is used more frequently than May in to talk about typical occurrences: May is used in academic (or
spoken English though May sounds more polite. scientific) language to refer to things that typically happen in certain

 May I sit next to you? situations.

Note: Might could also be used to request permission, but it sounds  Drivers may feel tired if they do not take a break every 2 hours.
very old and is not common.

Speculate about past actions (May + have + past participle) To express wishes

 She is late. I think she may have missed her plane.  May the New Year bring you love and happiness.

MUST
To express obligation or duty ( laws and regulations.) A strong recommendation (Something that is highly recommended,

 I must memorize all of these rules about modal verbs. is stronger than using should)

 The ice cream here is delicious. You must try some.

Deduction - Sure that something is true based on evidence to emphasize the necessity of something

 Dinosaurs were very big, they must have eaten a lot.  You must give up smoking, it's bad for you.

5. Expresses positive logical assumptions (Must + have + past participle)

 That must have been my mother calling me last night, nobody else has my number.

MUSTN'T
The negative is Mustn't which refers to prohibition (negative obligation) Mustn't = Must not

 You mustn't use your smartphone while you are driving.

MUST VS. HAVE TO

Must can be replaced by Have to with little difference in meaning (Have to is a more informal while Must is mostly used in written orders or
instructions)

 You must study  You have to study.

Must expresses obligation imposed by the speaker while Have to expresses external obligation.
 Teacher: You must complete this essay by Friday  Student: We have to complete this essay by Friday

When we are mentioning someone else's obligations, we use Have to. = John has to quit smoking.

For questions it is more common to use Have to instead of Must (which sounds very formal): = When do you have to finish the report?

The past tense of Must is Had to: = I had to pay my speeding ticket yesterday.

MUSTN'T VS. DON'T HAVE TO

“Must and Have” have a different meaning.

Mustn't is a negative obligation (= it is important that you do NOT do something), = it is prohibited; it is not allowed.
Don't have to is an absence of obligation, no obligation; you are not required to do something, especially if you don't want to.

 You must not drink that. (= it is forbidden to drink that; it is not allowed)
 You don't have to drink that. (= you don't need to drink that but you can if you want)

SHOULD
Should + Verb (base form of infinitive) e.g. You should go now (do not say: You should to go now.)
To give advice, a recommendation or a suggestion (to say that it Sometimes should is replaced by “ought to” without a change in
is the right thing to do or the correct thing) meaning (“ought to” sounds more formal and is used less frequently)

 I think you should study for the test so that you don't fail.  You ought to study more. (= you should study more)

Expresses that a situation is likely in the present 4Expresses that a situation is likely in the future (prediction)

 Mary should be at home by now. Give her a call.  They should win the game because they are a much better
 team.

Was expected in the past but didn't happen (should + have + Not fulfilling an obligation (should + be + verb-ing)
past participle)  We should be studying for the test. (We are not studying right
 I should have studied more but I was too tired. now and we should)

Expresses an obligation that is not as strong as Must.

Sometimes Should is used instead of Must to make rules, orders or instructions sound more polite. This may appear more frequently on
formal notices or on information sheets. = You should never lie to your doctor.

SHOULDN'T
We use shouldn't to advise not to do something, usually because it is bad or wrong to do. = We shouldn't leave without saying goodbye.

SHALL
Shall is not used very much nowadays and mostly in formal speech and some legal documents; Shall was used instead
of Will in first person (with I and We) when talking about the future. the most common use of shall is in questions that serve as
offers or suggestions: "Shall I ...?" or "Shall we ...?"
Suggestion (each of these can easily be replaced by should) Offers / Volunteering to do something

 Shall I get a pizza for dinner tonight?  Shall I wait for you?

Instructions (asking for or giving) Promises

 What shall I do with your mail when it arrives?  I shall get you a new bike for your birthday.

Confirmation, Statement of Fact (each of these can easily be Formal written regulations and rules
replaced by will) This is very formal and normally avoided in spoken English. The

 I shall turn 30 next week. passive is most often used in this situation.

 Members of the board of directors shall be elected annually (=

company regulations)

The Negative of Shall

The negative of shall is shall not,The contraction of shall not is shan't (= won't). It is very rare to hear this used nowadays though you may
find it written in older texts. = I shan't let the children bother you.
Shall in Question Tags: Shall is used in questions tags when the main verb is Let's. = Let's go to the beach, shall we?

WILL
We use WILL to speak about the future. It is always combined with another verb, and it has the same characteristics:
It does not change in the third person (i.e. he, she, it), It is always combined with another verb in the base form (i.e. without 'to')
and We don't use it with 'Do' in questions or negatives.
I will go to the cinema tonight. He will play tennis tomorrow. She will be happy with her exam results.

For things that we decide to do now. (Rapid Decisions) in a When we think or believe something about the future based on
spontaneous way. personal judgement or opinion. (Prediction)

 I'll call a taxi for you.  The President will not be re-elected at the next election.

3. You use WON'T when someone refuses to do something. 4. For a habit that is a predictable behaviour

 She won't listen to anything I say.  My daughter will fall asleep as soon as she is put into bed.
5. To make an offer, a promise or a threat.

 You look tired. I'll finish the dishes for you. / I will do my best to help you / If you say anything I will kill you!

Negative Sentences with WILL

In the negative, we add NOT to the end of WILL and not to the main verb. (= will not) Examples:

 I will not be in the office tomorrow. (correct) / I will be not in the office tomorrow. (Incorrect)
 Contractions
With positive WILL becomes 'LL and is joined to the subject, within negative, will not becomes won't, and to form a question
using WILL, we reverse the order of the subject and WILL: Will they win the cup? Yes, they will / No, they won't.

Positive Contraction I will (I'll), You will (you'll), He will (he'll), She will (she'll), It will (it'll), We will (we'll), You will (you'll), They will (they'll)

Negative I will not (I won't), You will not (you won't), He will not (he won't), She will not (she won't), It will not (it won't), We
Contraction will not (we won't), You will not (you won't), They will not (they won't)

Question WILL + Subject + verb + c = Will he be here tomorrow?

Affirmative Subject + WILL + Verb + c ? He will be here tomorrow

WOULD
Used as a polite invitation or to offer Future in the past

 Would you like some more tea? We use would when we want to talk about something
which was in the future at that time (in the past).
When someone asks a question to invite you or offer you something
using Would, the response can be: Yes, I would OR No, I wouldn't.  When I was in Paris last year I thought I would spend
hours sitting at coffee shops writing ideas for my novel.
 Would you like to have a coffee with me? Yes, I would. / No, I
wouldn't.

To not sound impolite when disagreeing with someone To describe past habits

 I wouldn't agree with that.  Before internet, people would send letters to each other.

2. Describe a prediction (hypothetical situations) 6. Wouldn't: To describe a past unwillingness (refusal)

 It would be nice to have a barbecue.  He said he wouldn't help us.

Many modal verbs cannot be used in all of the English tenses. That's why we need to know the substitutes to these modal
verbs.

Modal Verb Substitute Example

must to have to I must swim. = I have to swim.
must not not to be allowed to I must not swim. = I am not allowed to swim.
can to be able to I can swim. = I am able to swim.
may to be allowed to I may swim. = I am allowed to swim.
need to have to I need to swim. = I have to swim.
need not not to have to I need not swim. = I don't have to swim.
shall / should/ ought to be supposed to / to be expected to / I shall / should / ought to swim. = I am supposed to swim. / I am expected to
to to be to swim. / I am to swim.