MODALS AND SEMI-MODALS

MODALS SEMI-MODALS
Always the same form. Change form according to the subject.

CAN
*HAVE TO
COULD
*BE ABLE TO
MUST
MAY
MIGHT Affirmative: I have to/ I am able to/ she has to/ you are able to

SHOULD/OUGHT TO Negative: I don´t have to/ I am not able to/ she hasn´t to/ you
aren´t able to
NEEDN´T
Interrogative: Do you have to/ does he have to? / are you able to?
/ is she able to? / will you able to?
 HABILIDAD (Ability)

M O D ALS
CERTEZA (Certainty)

POSIBILIDAD (Possibility)

PERMISO (Permission)

PROHIBICIÓN (Prohibition)

OBLIGACIÓN/NECESIDAD( Obliga
tion/necessity

FALTA DE OBLIGACIÓN(Lack of
obligation)

DAR CONSEJO(Advice)
ABILITY
CAN (present): Ex: I can speak five languages. She can play the piano. Can we play the violin?
 Negative; CAN NOT/ CAN´T
COULD (past): I could swim when I was three years old.
 Negative; COULD NOT/ COULDN´T
*BE ABLE TO (future)
Ex: Once you finish the course, you will be able to speak French.
 Negative; BE NOT ABLE TO
 *It´s semi-modal, we change the form according to the subject.
 Ex: I am able to climb the mountain. She is able to run fast. I am going /will be/have been
able to finish the homework.

CERTAINTY
MUST (deber): certainty that something is true.
Ex: The baby is crying, he must be hungry.
We DON´T use “mustn’t” for the negative form (mustn´t =prohibition), we use CAN´T to talk about the
certainty that something isn´t true.
Ex: Paul was ill, he can´t be at the school now.

POSSIBILITY
CAN (present): We can meet at school. She can´t meet on Friday.
COULD (past): It could be dangerous. It couldn´t be better!
*BE ABLE TO (present, past, future, ): She will be able to get in time. Are you able to get in time? I am
not able to get in time.
MAY (perhaps/ almost certain): He may be late. She may not arrive early.
MIGHT (less certain): It might rain in March/ It might not rain in March.
PERMISSION
CAN: Can I open the window?
COULD (more polite): Could you show me your ID?
MAY (much more formal and polite); May I leave the meeting, please?

PROHIBITION
CAN´T: You can´t eat with your fingers.
MUSTN´T: She mustn´t use her mobile phone in class.

OBLIGATION-NECESSITY
MUST, personal obligation. The obligation comes from the speaker.
Ex: I haven´t got food so I must go to the supermarket. She must finish the homework. I must stay at
home.

*HAVE TO, the obligation comes from someone else and it could be rules or laws.
(*semi-modal, we change the form).
Ex: You have to wear the seatbelt. He has to wear the seatbelt. Do we have to wear the seatbelt?

*NEED TO, necessity to do something.

(*Semi-modal, the form changes).
Ex: They need to book in advance. She needs to bring the book. I didn´t need to book in advance. Will we
need to book in advance?

LACK OF OBLIGATION
*DON´T HAVE TO, it´s an option and not compulsory.
Ex: You don´t have to wear the uniform. She doesn´t have to bring the book.
NEEDN´T, without “to” because in negative is modal, so we don´t change its form.
Ex: You needn´t wear the uniform.

GIVING ADVICE
SHOULD (debería), to give advice.
Ex: You should visit Rome. You shouldn´t work so hard.
OUGHT TO (not usual), to give advice.
Ex: You ought to visit Rome.
Should is more common than ought to.
 MODAL PERFECTS

FORM: Subject+ Modal + Have + Past Participle + complements.

USE: Hypothetical tenses about the past.

SHOULD/OUGHT TO HAVE, criticism or regret after an event.

Ex: We should/ ought to have studied for the exam.

They shouldn´t have eaten too much.

COULD HAVE, ability to have done something, but we didn´t do it.

Ex: I could have been a nurse, but I am a teacher.

MUST HAVE, logical conclusion about an event in the past.

Ex: She must have been on diet. She is so thin.

COULDN´T HAVE, certainty that something didn´t happen.

Ex: Alice couldn't have passed her exams because she never studied at her school.

MAY/MIGHT HAVE, a guess about a past action.

Ex: George may/might have already arrived in Madrid. He left 5 hours ago.
Mary didn´t call me. She may/might have fallen asleep.

WOULD HAVE, willingness to have done something, but we didn´t do it.

Ex: Tom would have gone to China, but it was so expensive.