CAN (present) I can speak 3 languages.

ABILITY COULD (past) When I was 5 I couldn’t swim.

BE ABLE TO
tenses)
(other When I am 20, I will be able to drive
M
PERMISSION CAN
COULD
(informal)
(polite)
Could I use the computer, please?
Can you give me a lift to the station?
O
REQUEST WILL (neutral) WOULD
(polite)
Could you pass me the salt, please?
May I have your attention?
D
MAY (formal)
A
ADVICE SHOULD You look tired, you should have a
holiday.
What do you think I should do?
L
OUGHT TO (formal)
Moral obligation We ought to help everyone who's in
need.

POSSIBILITY
DEDUCTION
MAY, MIGHT (weaker
possibility)
It may rain later, it’s getting cloudy.
- The phone is ringing. It must be V
E
MUST (sure) Mary, she said she would call at
CAN’T (impossible) 5.
- It can’t be her. She’s left her

MUST (present, sense of

phone here!
You must be on time for the lessons
R
OBLIGATION
duty)
HAVE TO (external
I had to get up early for the trip on
Sunday
B
LACK OF
authority, other tenses)
DON’T HAVE TO
Did you have to work yesterday?
On Sat you don’t have to get up early
S
NEEDN’T You needn’t take an umbrella, it is not
OBLIGATION raining

MUSTN’T (sense of duty)  You mustn’t reveal where

CAN’T (external authority) you get the information. (=you
PROHIBITION have the obligation not to do
it)

You can’t take potos in this museum.

Other forms

To be allowed to= have the permission -Is used in the past or future.
We weren’t allowed to wear trainers at work.

To be permitted to-to express permission or prohibition in formal or official, to say what the
rules or laws are. It is not permitted to take photos of the archive documents.

be supposed to / be meant to

We can also use be supposed/meant to + infinitive to express obligation or permission, to say what
we should or shouldn’t do.
 We are supposed/meant to check in one hour before take-off.
 What are you doing? You aren’t supposed/meant to be here.

had better, had better not +Do

We use had better + infinitive (without to) to talk about actions we think someone should or shouldn’t do. There is often a negative result if
the action is carried out. We normally use the shortened form ‘d better, and the negative form is never contracted: ‘d better not.

We’d better not tell our partners about this issue