This document provides an overview of modal verbs in 3 paragraphs: It defines modal verbs as auxiliaries that add meaning to sentences and lists common modal verbs like can, will, should. It explains they are used before infinitives and accompany the main verb. The second paragraph discusses specific modal verbs like will and shall for making suggestions or requests. It also covers would for conditional and past situations. The third paragraph addresses modal verbs for abilities, permissions, possibilities, advice, obligations, prohibitions, and certainty. It explains how they are used in different tenses and situations. The document concludes with a section on using modal verbs with perfect infinitives to discuss past situations.

1. A I T O R S Á N C H E Z A B E L L Á N
D A V I D S Á N C H E Z G O N Z Á L E Z
Revised, Corrected, and completed by Nur Garriga
Modal Verbs

2. Modal Verbs
 They are auxiliaries.
 They accompany the main verb (and/or other auxiliaries PLUS
the main verb in perfect or continuous forms.)
 They are used before the infinitives (to)
 They add new meaning to the sentences.
 CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, WILL, WOULD, SHALL (most
common in BE), SHOULD, OUGTH TO, MUST, CANNOT
(CAN’T), MUST NOT (MUSTN’T)
 Other verbs used as MODALS: NEED and DARE, HAD BETTER
(NOT)
 Semi modals: HAVE TO / HAS TO
 NEGATIVE FORMS: Modal Verb + NOT

3. WILL & SHALL as a MODAL AUXILIARY
 WILL to talk about the future and/or polite requests.
 Will she come round tomorrow? Yes, she will.
 Will you do me a favour, please? No, I won’t.
 SHALL (I / WE) to make suggestions or to offer
something.
 Shall we go for a walk and discuss it? Certainly.
 Shall I answer the phone for you? Yes, please.
 Note: In Legal English SHALL is used for all the persons and it is used
as obligation.
 The client shall cover expenditure on film prints, advertising
and general distribution costs.

4. WOULD
 It is a modal auxiliary. Use to make verbs conditional.
 I would like to talk to you seriously. (I’d like to talk to…)
 Would acts as a past of will in Reported Speech.
 The forecaster said it would be rainy at the weekend.
 Polite requests and offers.
 Would you open the door, please?
 Good morning Mr. Barns, here is my office if you would come this
way?
 Second Conditional. Hypothetical sentences.
 Would you marry me if we bought the house together?
 Repeated Actions and Events in the past.
 When I was 5, I would watch Little House on Sundays.

5. DARE as a MODAL AUXILIARY
 DARE as a modal auxiliary
 Daren’t to express that someone is afraid of something at the
moment of speaking.
 She daren’t look at me!
 Indignant or resentful exclamation
 How dare you touch my daughter!
 Equivalent to I suppose / I believe.
 I dare say he’ll come back sooner than we expect him to.
 I daresay you are ready for the driver’s license test!

6. MODALS of ABILITY
 We use the modal verb can to talk about ability in the
present.
- I can play the piano. He can drive! She can speak Dutch.
 We use the modal verb could to talk about ability in the
past.
- When I was 5, I could ride a bike.
 As can and could cannot be used to talk ability in all tenses,
we use be able to (which is not a modal verb) in other
tenses.
- Tomorrow I will be 18 at last! I will be able to have access
to the driver’s test and get my the driver’s licence.
(Context: in Spain).

7. MODALS of PERMISSION
 We use the modal verb can to talk about permission or ask for things at present.
- Can I go outside, please? - Can you pass me the salt, please?
 As can cannot be used in all tenses, we use be allowed to or be permitted to (which
is not a modal verb) to talk about permission in other tenses.
- I am allowed to go to the cinema tonight.
 We can also use could and may to talk about general permission in the past.
However, we cannot use could or may to talk about permission for a particular
action in the past. Instead, we use the correct form of be allowed to.
- When I was 10, I could play computer games when I wanted to. (general
permission)
- Yesterday night, I was allowed to go to the disco. (permission for a particular action
in the past).

8. MODALS of POSSIBILITY
 We use may, might, and could to talk about present or
future possibility.
- I might study architecture. (weak probability)
- I may pass math’s exam.
- He could go to handball match. (weak probability)
o The most common modal verb of possibility is might.
o We can substitute may, might and could for maybe,
perhaps or probably (which aren’t modal verbs)

9. MODALS of ADVICE
 We use ought to and should to give advice and make
recommendations.
- You should/ ought to study more for the next exam.
 Ought to is less common in speech.
 We use had better + infinitive to give advice or express an
intention. It has a similar meaning to ought to and should.
- You had better call her.
 We can also use had better (not) in threats.
- You had better not be late, or I will be furious!

10. MODALS of NECESSITY
 The verb need (without to) is only used in negative and
interrogative sentences. Also, we can use don’t have to
/ doesn’t have to / didn’t have to (past) for the same
purpose.
 In the affirmative, we use need to to express necessity.
- You needn’t do the exercises, they are not obligatory.
- You need to do the exercises, they are obligatory.

11. MODALS of OBLIGATION
 We use must or have to (the latter is a semi modal)
to talk about obligation.
- I must do my homework every day if I want to pass this
course and go to university.
- Everyone has to wear uniform at school in UK.
- Must is for personal obligations.
- Have to is for general obligations
 The past of Must and the past of Have to/Has to is HAD.

12. MODAL of PROHIBITION
 MUSTN’T OR MUST NOT to express we are not
allowed to do or to say something.
 Smoking is not allowed at university.
 You mustn’t smoke at university.

13. MODALS of CERTAINTY
 We use can’t when we believe or guess that
something is impossible.
- I can’t + (infinitive) act out the dialogue, because I haven’t
studied anything.
 We use must when we make logical deductions that
are possible.
- She must + (infinitive) be at home by now, it’s 10 pm.

14. MODALS + PERFECT INFINITIVES
PAST SITUATIONS
Can’t + have + past participle
 We use can’t have + past participle to express an impossibility in the past.
I can’t have made a good impression because he hasn’t phoned me yet.
Could + have + past participle
 We use could have + past participle to suggest an alternative past action, even
though it is now too late.
- You could have told me that your mum was in hospital! I’m so glad she’s well
now though!
Could / may / might + have + past participle
 We use might, may or could have + past participle to talk about something that
was possible in the past.
- He might/ may/ could have phoned, but we don’t know because we were in
the garden.

15. Must + have + past participle
 We use must have + past participle to express a certainty or to make a logical
deduction about the past.
- She must have known that I badly fancied him – it was so obvious!
Should / Ought to + have + past participle
 We use should have + past participle to give an opinion about past events, even
though it is now too late.
- I was anxious – he should have called me.
Shouldn’t + have + past participle
 We use shouldn’t have + past participle to express regret or criticism about past
events.
- You shouldn’t have lied to me! From now on, I won’t trust you anymore.
Needn’t + have + past participle
 Lack of necessity or obligation.
- I needn’t have made so many pancakes, nobody is hungry now.
MODALS + PERFECT INFINITIVES
PAST SITUATIONS

16. THE END