Modals of certainty

Probable, possible or certain (100%).

Possible: It can happen
Probable: Quantity of opportunities (%)
Certain: 100% sure

MUST + verb (100% sure about a situation in the

present)

- The teacher must be tired.

- Ariana spent 1000 soles on clothes. She must
be crazy!
- Renato bought airplane tickets for his parents to
go to Europe. Renato must have a lot of money.
- Renzo always wins marathons. He must run
very fast.
- Oliver is getting fatter and fatter. He must eat a
lot of fast food.
- Olenka’s restaurant is really famous. She must
cook very well.
- It’s 7 am and I’m calling Anny but she doesn’t
answer. She must be sleeping.
- My sister’s baby is crying. He must be hungry.
- Tom Cruise makes excellent action movies. He
must train a lot.
- My friend must be right in her exam. She said
she studied all week.
- Claudia sold her house. She must need money.
 - Luis is sick. He must have Covid-19.
- Julio loves watching Netflix. He must know
about good series.

MUST HAVE + Participle (100% sure about the past)

- James has a strong stomachache. He must

have eaten a lot. He’s always eating.
- Juan passed the English exam with the
maximum score. He must have copied,
because he’s terrible at English.
- A: I only stayed at the concert for 10 minutes.
Then I left.
B: Wow! It must have been super boring.
- Greta didn’t come to class for a week. She must
have been very busy.
- Luis is sick now. He must have broken the
quarantine.
- My sister has a strong headache. She must
have drunk a lot at the party.
- Daniel has an allergic reaction. He must have
been playing with my cat.
- The teacher is late to the class. He must have
had a meeting.
- The singer bought a new car. Her concert must
have been full.
- Mary was at my party. She must have run
away from home because she was punished.
 - She presented the project today. She must
have stayed up all night working on it.
- The teacher speaks English very well. He must
have practiced a lot.
- My sister has a broken arm. She must have
been playing volleyball.

Can’t + verb (100% sure something is impossible)

- Josh doesn’t have money. So, it can’t be true

that he has bought a new house.
- Vizcarra said that the quarantine will be
extended until December 30th. It can’t be true
that people can celebrate on the streets/with
their families.
- Julia lost the competition. She can’t be happy.
- Remy doesn’t have money. She can’t have (it is
impossible) lots of cars.
- Walter sleeps very early. He can’t wake up late
in the mornings.
- A: The exam is tomorrow.
B: That can’t be true! You’re lying to me.
- His best friend has just died. He can’t be happy.
- My laptop can’t be damaged. I bought it this
month.
- It can’t be true that Mary watches virtual
classes every day because she doesn’t have
internet.
Can’t have + past participle (100% sure it is not
possible)

- I can’t have gotten the wrong address. I’m sure

I wrote it well.
- She can’t have won the first place. She’s not a
good student.

May, might and could + verb (we are not 100%

sure about something)

- “Oliver is not in English class.”

He might be in another class.
He may be sick.
He might be busy.

- “John’s nose is red”

He might have an allergy.
He may be sick

- This could be love.

- Gina doesn’t look very well. She could be sick.

- I don’t feel really well. I might/may be sick.

- They may be rich because they have a nice

house.
 - You may be tired after all the work you did.

Might have/ may have + past participle (not 100%

sure about some past situation in the past)

- Carlos was late to class today. He might have

had a problem at home.
- Jenna didn’t come to class today. She might
not have done her homework.
- Arianna is crying. She might have broken up
with her boyfriend.
- Magdalena is thrilled. She may have won the
lottery.
- A: You look very strange today.
B: do you think I might have done something
bad?

C: Why Tom is mad at you?

D: I may have said something he didn’t like.

- “Estefani didn’t come to class yesterday”

She might have fallen asleep.
She might have been busy with other things.
She may have been studying for an exam
She might have had an accident on the street.
- The man’s body was found in the river. He might
have been killed near the river.
Could have + participle (to talk about a situation
that was possible but didn’t happen.)

- I didn’t know you were at the cinema too. We

could have watched the movie together.
- You were driving too fast when the accident
happened. You could have killed yourself.
- You could have included more pictures in your
presentation (but you didn’t).
- He could have been a great doctor but now he
studies engineering.
- Reimond Manco could have been a great
soccer player but he preferred the night life.
- I could have been a great chef but my parents
didn’t pay for my studies.
- We could have eaten more but we were
already full.