MODAL VERBS Can Ability We can speak more than one foreign language Possibility (theoretical) My sister can be really arrogant Sometimes, it can be cold in Murcia Impossibility (Deduction) That can’t be George’s. It’s not his style Permission Can I come in? Yes, you can Offers Can I help you with your homework? Request Can you switch on the PC, please?

MODAL VERBS Could Ability in the past We could speak more than one local language in my country Possibility (theoretical) My sister could be really arrogant as a child Sometimes, it could be hot in England Permission Could I come in? Request Could you switch on the PC, please?

MODAL VERBS Possibility (Factual) May / Might Possibility (Factual) My sister might come for dinner tonight (Maybe, she will come) Permission May / Might I come in? Giving permission: only may You may come later tonight, Bob.

MODAL VERBS Must Obligation (From the speaker) You must stay in the classroom until the end of the exam Deduction Nobody answers the phone, they must be out Strong advice You must come and visit us in summer!

MODAL VERBS Have to / Need to Obligation (From external authority) We have to stay in the classroom until the end of the exam Strong advice You have to come and visit us in summer! Necessity We need to change our computer as soon as possible

MODAL VERBS Mustn’t Don’t have to / Don’t need to Prohibition You must not bring mobile phones to the exam Don’t have to / Don’t need to Lack of obligation or necessity We don’t have to pay extra money for the exam. It is included in the taxes. We don’t need to bring our calculators. They will supply us with one.

MODAL VERBS Should / ought to Probability It is not too late. He should be at work Advice You ought to try a different accademy which works better

MODAL VERBS Present Past May/Might (Possibility) Should Must (Obligation) Must / Can’t (Deduction) Past May/Might have + Past Participle They may have come earlier than I expected Should have + Past Participle They should have done it before Had to We had to wake up earlier than usual for work Must/Can’t have + Past Participle They can’t have done it. They must have been other people

MODAL VERBS Didn’t need to I didn’t come to the meeting because I did not need to do it. (It was not necessary and I didn’t do it) Needn’t have + Past Part. You needn’t have come to the meeting, why have you? (He came even though it was not necessary)

MODAL VERBS What other Modal verbs are these expressions related to? Be able to Can, could (Ability, possibility) I can / am able to play the sax I could / was able to play the sax when I was 6 years old Other Tenses I have been able to play the sax since I was 6 Be allowed to Can, could, may, might (Permission) You can / may / are allowed to leave the class now Other Tenses I have been allowed to leave the school earlier than the rest of my classmates for the whole year