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C/ Fundición 10 ESQUEMAS INGLÉS
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MODALES

Para decir que alguien tiene o no tiene una HABILIDAD, podemos usar can, can´t, could and couldn´t:

Francesca can speak five languages, but she can´t speak Russian

As a child, she could play the piano but she couldn´t play the violin.

Usamos can y could con: see, hear, smell, feel y taste:

From the top of the mountain you could see for more tan 50 km.

I can hear a strange noise coming from upstairs.

Para expresar POSIBILIDAD sobre el presente o el futuro, usamos may, might o could:

I may come and visit you next summer.

We might go to the cinema this evening if we finish all our work in time.

We should go out for a walk now because it could rain later.

Usamos may not and might not para la negativa (NUNCA can´t o couldn´t, porque expresan certeza):

Frankie is loking very pale: he may not be very well.

Don´t cook any dinner for me because I might not be back in time.

Para dar CONSEJO a alguien usamos Should/Ought to (este último se usa mucho menos):

You should get a new pair of shoes.

You ought to have a rest now.

Particularmente en la negativa, shouldn´t es más común que oughtn´t, que casi no se usa.

A menudo usamos Should para hablar sobre la forma correcta de hacer algo, pero que es diferente de lo
que realmente pasa:

I should do the housework instead of watching televisión in the middle of the afternoon.

He should write his own answers instead of copying them from the Internet.

Para expresar OBLIGACIÓN, usamos Must y Have to:

You must be quite.

I have to go now.

Usamos Must cuando la obligación es algo con lo que estamos de acuerdo:

Teacher to students: You must hand in your homework on Monday.

 Centro de estudios
Séneca
C/ Fundición 10 ESQUEMAS INGLÉS
Tlfno 651 783 224

Usamos Have to cuando la obligación viene de alguien:

My teacher has given me a lot of homework which I have to do for Monday.

Usamos Must para consejos importantes:

You must be careful if you stay out late at night.

Para expresar PROHIBICIÓN usamos mustn´t:

You mustn´t go in there – it says “No entry!”

You mustnt´t Speak during the exam – It´s forbidden.

NO USAR DON´T HAVE TO para expresar PROHIBICIÓN:

You mustn´t use your mobile phone in class (no está permitido)

You don´t have to use your mobile phone to speak to Fayed. Look! He´s over there. (No es
necesario que lo haga)

NUNCA USAR MUSTN´T SOBRE EL PASADO.

Para prohibición en el pasado podemos usar NOT ALLOWED TO:

We weren´t alowed to speak.

Para algo que no era necesario usamos didn´t have to:

Jo gave me a ticket for the concert, so I didn´t have to pay.

Para decir que NO HAY OBLIGACIÓN, O QUE NO ES NECESARIO usamos don´t have to o Needn´t:

This is a really good exercise on phrasal verbs for anyone who´s interested, but it´s not for
homework, so you don´t have to do it if you don´t want to.

You needn´t learn all the vocabulary on this page- only the words you think are useful.