Modals
They are auxiliary verbs that express various concepts like ability, possibility, permission, obligation and requests. They are used with another main verb.
- Auxiliary verbs: they do not express independently, however help the main verb.
- Do not Conjugate: they do not change form base on the subject (e.g. No “s” for third person singular)
- They are always followed by the base form of another verb without “to”.
Son verbos auxiliares que expresan diversos conceptos como capacidad, posibilidad, permiso, obligación y peticiones. Se usan con otro verbo principal.
- Verbos auxiliares: no se expresan de forma independiente, sino que ayudan al verbo principal.
- No se conjugan: no cambian de forma según el sujeto (p. ej., no se usa «s» en la tercera persona del singular).
- Siempre van seguidos de la forma base de otro verbo sin “to”.
Common Modals and their uses (Modales comunes y sus usos)
| Type (Tipo) | Modal verbs (Verbos Modales) | Examples (Ejemplos) |
|---|---|---|
| Ability (Habilidad) | Can (Poder) Could (Podía) Negative: can not, could not | Sarah can play three instruments Jennifer could speak fluent Portuguese when she was 10. |
| Permission (Permiso) | Can (Poder) Could (Podría) May (Poder) | Can I sit here please? Could I open the window? May I go to the bathroom? |
| Advice (Consejo) | Should (Debería) Negative: Should not | You should visit the dentist twice a year Deberías visitar al dentista dos veces al año |
| Obligation (Obligación) | Must (Deber) Have to (Tener que) Negative: Must not, don’t have to | You must do your homework before going out You have to memorize all verbs in English |
| Possibility (Posibilidad) | Might (Poder) May (Poder) Negative: Might not, may not | It might snow tomorrow Puede que nieve mañana It looks nice, but it may be expensive Luce bonito, pero puede ser caro |
📘Modals activity