MODAL VERBS

INTRODUCTION• Los verbos modales son invariables.

No se conjugan. Tienen la misma forma en todas las personas

• No necesitan auxiliares para formar negaciones y preguntas

• Siempre van seguidos de un verbo en infinitivo (you should go to...)

• Expresan diferentes FUNCIONES (permiso, habilidad, prohibición...)

POSSIBILITY/ PROBABILITY

• Present/ futureo That story COULD/ MIGHT be true (vaguely

probable) (esa historia podría ser verdad)

o That story MAY be true (probable) (quizá sea verdad)

o That story MUST be true (highly probable, certain) (debe ser verdad)

o That story CAN'T be true (impossible) (no puede ser verdad)

POSSIBILITY/ PROBABILITY

• Past (se utiliza el verbo modal seguido de un infinitivo perfecto)

• El infinitivo perfecto se forma con: HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

– That story COULD/ MIGHT have been true (vaguely probable)

(podría haber sido verdad)

– That story MAY have been true (probable) (quizá haya sido verdad)

– That story MUST have been true (highly probable, certain)

(debe haber sido verdad)

– That story CAN'T have been true (impossible) (no puede haber sido

verdad)

• Present/ future (deber, tener que)o I MUST write a card for my mother because it's

her birthdayo I HAVE TO start work at 8:30o She HAS TO be at home by 11.

• Past (debía, tenía que)o Yesterday I HAD TO go to hospitalo Last week she HAD TO take care of her

grandmother

OBLIGATION

LACK OF OBLIGATION

• Present/ future (no es necesario que, no hace falta que)o I NEEDN'T write to my mother because I'm going to

see her tomorrowo I DON'T HAVE TO be in the office until 10 amo She DOESN'T HAVE TO take her children to school,

because there is a school bus

• Past (no era necesario que, no hacía falta que)o I DIDN'T HAVE TO go to the office until 10 amo We DIDN'T HAVE TO bring our books today

because we were going to see a film

PROHIBITION

• Present/ future (no se debe, no se puede, está prohibido)o You MUSTN'T smoke in public placeso You CAN'T drive over 50 Km/hour in urban areas

• Past (no se podía, estaba prohibido)o We COULDN'T vote in last year's elections because

we were 17 years old.o They COULDN'T work in the USA because they

didn't have a work permit

ADVICE

• Present/ future (deberías, no deberías)

o You SHOULD go to the doctor if you

don't feel well

o You SHOULDN'T be late

o You OUGHT TO ask the teacher if you

don't understand the exercise

ADVICE• Past: Para expresar consejo en pasado hay que usar el verbo

modal + infinitivo perfecto (have + past participle)

– You SHOULD have gone to the doctor if you didn't feel well

(deberías haber ido al médico si no te sentías bien)

– You SHOULDN'T have arrived late

( no deberías haber llegado tarde)

– You OUGHT TO have asked the teacher if you didn't understand

the exercise (deberías haberle preguntado al profesor)

PERMISSION/ REQUEST

• Present/ future (puedo, podría)o You CAN use the computer if you need ito You MAY use the computer if you need ito CAN I open the window, please?o COULD/ MAY I open the window, please?

• Past (podía, pude)o When I was a child I COULD stay out as long as I

wanted. My parents were very flexibleo Yesterday Mr. Thomson COULD take the day off work

because his wife was in hospital

ABILITY• Present/ future (saber, poder, ser capaz)

o I CAN speak three languageso I AM ABLE TO speak three languageso I CAN'T speak Japanese

• Past (sabía, podía, era capaz)o I COULD ride a bike when I was 6o She HAS BEEN ABLE TO learn German in ten

monthso You COULDN'T read when you were 2 years old

SOME PRACTICE● Click here● Click here● Click here● Click here● Click here● Click here