Modal Auxiliary Verbs a Summary
We do not use modal auxiliaries to talk about situations that exist or have happened but to talk about the possibility, the necessity etc., of something happening
1. can
Use | Examples |
---|---|
ability to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to be able to) | I can speak Spanish. |
permission to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to be allowed to) | Can I go to the park? |
request | Can you wait for me, please? |
offer | I can give you a lift. |
suggestion | Can we go to the beach on Saturday? |
possibility | It can get very cold in winter. |
2. could
Use | Examples |
---|---|
ability to do sth. in the past (substitute form: to be able to) | I could speak Spanish. |
permission to do sth. in the past (substitute form: to be allowed to) | I could go to the park. |
polite question * | Could you tell me the time, please? |
polite request * | Could you wait for me, please? |
polite offer * | I could give you a lift. |
polite suggestion * | Could we go to the beach on Saturday? |
possibility * | It could get very hot in summer. |
3. may
Use | Examples |
---|---|
possibility | It may snow at the weekend. |
permission to do sth. in the present (substitute form: to be allowed to) | May I go to the park? |
polite suggestion | May I help you? |
4. might
Use | Examples |
---|---|
possibility (less possible than may) * | It might snow at the weekend. |
hesitant offer * | Might I help you? |
5. must
Use | Examples |
---|---|
force, necessity | I must go to the bank. |
possibility | You must be tired. |
advice, recommendation | You must try the new restaurant. |
6. must not/may not
Use | Examples |
---|---|
prohibition (must is a little stronger) | You mustn’t play football here. |
You may not play football here. |
7. need not
Use | Examples |
---|---|
sth. is not necessary | I needn’t go to bank, I found some money in my coat. |
8. ought to
simliar to should – ought to sounds a little less subjective
Use | Examples |
---|---|
advice | You ought to drive carefully in the rain. |
obligation | You ought to leave a tip, he was a very good waiter. |
9. shall
used instead of will in the 1st person
Use | Examples |
---|---|
suggestion | Shall I call a taxi? |
10. should
Use | Examples |
---|---|
advice | You should drive carefully in the rain. |
obligation | You should leave a tip, he was a very good waiter. |
11. will
Use | Examples |
---|---|
wish, request, demand, order (less polite than would) | Will you please sit down? |
prediction, assumption | I think it will snow on Saturday. |
promise | I will stop drinking. |
spontaneous decision | Can somebody answer the door? – I will. |
habits | He’s strange, he‘ll sit for hours in the dark. |
12. would
Use | Examples |
---|---|
wish, request (more polite than will) | Would you sit down, please? |
habits in the past | Sometimes he would sit for hours in the dark. |
* These are no past forms, they refer to the future.