MODAL MEANING EXAMPLE

Can Ability Can you play the piano?

Theoretical possibility Anyone can make a mistake.

Permission (informal) Can I leave early, please?

Requests Can you give me a hand?

Offers Can I help you out?

Inability I can’t play the piano.

Can’t/ Cannot
Possibility Can’t you come any earlier?

Prohibition You can't leave until I say so.

Deduction This bill can’t be right.

Can’t have Deduction She’s gone to the wrong door, she

can’t have seen the sign.

Could Ability in the past I could ride my bike when I was 5.

Possibility There could be trouble If she doesn't

stop lying.

Requests Could you give me a hand?

Asking for permission (polite, Could (Aș putea) I leave a bit early
formal way) today?

Permission in the past When I was young, I could eat

candy if I behaved.

Deduction That could be John’s car I hear, he

said he was coming.

Idiomatic You could at least tell me what they

said. (You should tell me …)

Couldn’t Inability in the past I couldn’t walk until I was nearly

two.
 Impossibility I couldn't eat another thing!

Requests Couldn’t you try again?

Prohibition in the past When we were little we couldn’t

stay up late, because our parents
didn’t let us.

Deduction It couldn’t be Mary that you saw,

because she went on a business trip.

Idiomatic I couldn’t agree more!

Possibility in the past Your actions could have harmed

(hurt) the animals.
Could have
Annoyance You could have told me!

Impossibility in the past He couldn’t have lost the car,

Couldn’t have because he didn’t get out of the
house.

Idiomatic It couldn’t have been better.

May Possibility We may go to France next year.

Expressing hope May you both be happy.

Permission You may go when you’ve finished.

Offers May I be of any assistance?

Concession They may live next door, but we

hardly see them.

Possibility We may not go to France this year.

May not
Prohibition You may not go until you’ve
finished.

May not Concession I may not be very intelligent but I

can work out the answer to that
problem.

May have/may not have Possibility in the past They may not have left yet.

Concession He may have written books on the

subject, but that doesn’t mean he’s a
world expert.

Might We use might as the past form He said he might come with us.
of may after Past tense verbs

Possibility This expedition might be quite

 dangerous.

Suggestions You might try phoning directory

enquiries.

Requests Might I borrow some money?

Annoyance You might at least say you’re sorry!

Concession He might seem rude, but he’s not

really.

We use might not as the past He said he might not come with us.
form of may not after Past
Might not tense verbs

Possibility You might not like it.

Concession He might not wear glasses, but his

eyesight is not perfect either.

Possibility in the past They might have been trying to

contact us.
Might have
Annoyance You might have told me! (=I wish
you had told me)

Concession She might have worked hard, but

you wouldn’t know it from her
results.

Possibility in the past They might not have noticed the

sign.
Might not have Concession She might not have done all the
work.

Must Deduction What’s that noise? It must be

raining.

Obligation You must take your shoes off in

here.

Necessity The wires must touch or it won’t

work.
Mustn’t Prohibition You mustn’t worry-you’ll be fine.

Must have Deduction in the past I must have left my wallet in the car.

Necessity in the past In order to qualify for the job, you

must have had several years’
experience.
 Necessity in the past You mustn’t have had any driving
convictions or you won’t get the
job.
Mustn’t have

Shall Prediction (I and we) I think we shall get back early next
week.

Intention (I and we) We shall give our final decision

tomorrow.

Offers (I and we) Shall I give you a hand?

Official orders All the candidates shall remain in

their seats until the end of the
examination/

Asking for advice What shall we do now?

Shan’t prediction We shan’t get back much before

then.

intention I shan’t let him do that again.

Shan’t have Prediction We shall have finished by this

evening.
We shan’t have had nearly enough
time.