Exercice A

Utilisez le verbe modal approprié au sens de la phrase.

1. He (go) to college if he wants to become an engineer.

2. You (take) a water bottle. It’s going to be hot today.
3. The speech is about to start. They (be) silent.
4. She (read) the label before buying it.
5. It’s too cold. You (wear) a coat.
6. The team players (finish) their homework before going to the gym.
7. You (not play) on your phone so much. Your neck will start to hurt.

Exercice B
Remplissez les espaces vides avec le verbe modal qui correspond à ce qui est indiqué entre
parenthèses.

1. He___ stop smoking. (should / would) (obligation)

2. She ___obey her parents. (wouldn’t / shouldn’t / couldn’t) (refus)
3. They___ change themselves to please others. (need not / do not need) (manque
d’obligation)
4. People___ listen more to their conscience. (should / would / might) (obligation)
5. He___be back from his trip already. (might / can / shall) (basse possibilité)
6. We___ not fix the issue. (could / might / should) (incapacité)
7. The drug’s effect ___ go away soon. (may / should / would) (possibilité)
RÉPONSES

Exercice A
1. Should go
2. should take
3. Must be
4. Should read
5. Should wear
6. Must finish
7. Shouldn’t play

Exercice B
1. should stop
2. wouldn’t obey
3. need not change
4. should listen
5. might be
6. could not fix
7. may go away
Les verbes modaux :
will, would, can, could, may, might, must, should, shall

Exercice
Choisir le bon verbe modal (forme affirmative ou négative) plusieurs
réponses sont parfois possibles.

1. This women _________ be Spanish but I’m not sure. She sounds
Spanish though.
2. You ______ park here. You will get a parking fine if you do.
3. ______ I offer you a drink?
4. ______ you come to the party tomorrow? Of course, I ______ be there
come rain or shine!
5. She ________ speak English when she was very young .
6. You ________ switch off your phone when the plane is taking off.
7. You ________ really start eating healthier if you don’t want to get
fat!
8. He _________ (not) speak proper Spanish but he tries.
9. Hurry up! They _______ be waiting for us at the restaurant. .
10. I’m very fortunate, I _________ spend a lot of quality time with my
children this weekend.
11. You ______ be so tired after your trip! You ______ rest now.
12. I’m not sure yet but I ________ join as you asked.
13. __________ you give me a hand with this exercise?
14. Sorry kids, you ______ use mummy’s phone anymore. You broke it
last time!
15. I ________ like to order a pizza.
16. If I had more time, I _____________ visit my family more often
17. You ________ smoke here. It’s forbidden.
18. _______ I go out now? Sure, you _____.
19. ______ you marry me? Yes, I _____.
20. I _______ like to have a beer, please. _______ you also bring some
bread?
Corrigé
1 This women might / may be Spanish but I’m not sure. She
sounds Spanish though. (il est possible qu’elle soit espagnol, mais
on n’est pas sûr)
2 You cannot / mustn’t park here. You will get a parking fine if
you do. (cannot = tu ne peux pas / mustn’t = tu ne dois pas c’est
interdit)
3 Can / may I offer you a drink? (can = est ce que je peux / may =
puis je)
4 Can / will you come to the party tomorrow? Of course, I will be
there come rain or shine! (can = est ce que tu peux / will = est ce
que tu vas)
5 She could speak English when she was very young .
6 You must switch off your phone when the plane is taking off.
(obligation)
7 You should really start eating healthier if you don’t want to get
fat! (conseil, suggestion, recommandation)
8 He cannot speak proper Spanish but he tries.
9 Hurry up! They must be waiting for us at the restaurant. (forte
probabilité)
10 I’m very fortunate, I could spend a lot of quality time with my
children this weekend.
11 You must be so tired after your trip! You should rest now. (forte
probabilité / conseil)
12 I’m not sure yet but I might / may join as you asked. (50% de
chance que cela se produise)
13 Can / could you give me a hand with this exercise? (can = est ce
que tu peux / could = est ce que tu pourrais)
14 Sorry kids, you cannot / mustn’t use mummy’s phone anymore.
You broke it last time! (cannot = vous ne pouvez pas / mustn’t =
vous n’avez pas le droit)
15 I would like to order a pizza. (souhait, conditionnel)
16 If I had more time, I would visit my family more often
(conditionnel)
17 You mustn’t smoke here. It’s forbidden. (interdiction)
18 Can I go out now? Sure, you can . (demande de permission)
19 Will you marry me? Yes, I will . (volonté)
20 I would like to have a beer, please. Could you also bring some
bread? (souhait / demande polie)
Exercices sur les modaux en anglais
Rappel: les modaux en anglais sont:
•au présent: can, may, must, will, shall
•au prétérit: could, might, must, would, should

Exercice 1

Trouvez le verbe modal qui convient (il peut être à la forme négative):

1.It’s a hospital. You _________ smoke.

2.He had been working for more than 11 hours. He _________ be tired after such hard work.
He _________ prefer to get some rest.
3.My mum said we _________ eat this pizza if we want to. But we _________ leave it if we
don’t want to.
4. _________ you stand on your hands for more than a minute? No, I _________ .
5.If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you _________ to work hard.
6.Take an umbrella. It _________ rain later.
7.People _________ walk on the grass.
8.Drivers _________ stop when the traffic lights are red.
9. _________ I ask a question? Yes, of course.
10. _________ you speak Italian? No, I _________ .

Exercice 2
Choisissez la bonne réponse:

1. I didn’t feel very well yesterday. I_______eat anything.

cannot / couldn’t / mustn’t

2. You________look at me when I am talking to you.

could / should / would

3. I was using my phone a minute ago. It_____________ be here somewhere!

can / could / must / would

4. You really__________ be late again.

must not / don’t have to

5. If you don’t start working harder, you ___________repeat the course next year.
have to / must / will have to

6. He’s always __________to do whatever he wants by his parents.

been able / been allowed
7. Call her now. She __________home by now.
has to be / must be / would be

8. You _________forget your sunglasses. It’s going to be very sunny outside!

don’t have to / mustn’t / needn’t
9. I ___________be able to take you to the airport, but I’m not sure yet.
might / would

10. We ______________pay to get in the museum, it was free.

needn’t / didn’t need to

11. You _____________have to learn spanish to get this job.

could / may / should / would

12. Bags _________not be left unattended.

can / must / may

13. I ________really try to get fit.

may / must / would

14. _____________take a picture of you?

May I / Am I allowed to

15. Customers ______________rent 3 DVD’s at any time.

are allowed to / could

16. Whose is this bag? – I don’t know, but it ________________belong to Linda.

could / may / should / would

17. _____________I go to the bathroom, please?

May / Must / Would

18. His excuse___________ be true, but I don’t believe.

can / may

19. It’s very important to _____________speak more than one language.

can / be able to

20. I don’t like_______________ get up early on a Sunday.

being able to / being allowed to / having to
Correction exercice 1
1.mustn’t
2.must / may
3.can / can
4.Can / can’t
5.need
6.might
7.mustn’t
8.must
9.May
10.Can / can’t

Correction exercice 2
1.couldn’t
2.should
3.must
4.must not
5.will have to
6.been allowed
7.must be
8.mustn’t
9.might
10.didn’t need to
11.may
12.must
13.must
14.May I
15.are allowed to
16.may
17.May
18.may
19.be able to
20.having to