MEANINGS OF MODAL VERBS
Modal Meaning / Use Example
can Ability Can you play the piano? yetenek
Theoretical possibility Anyone can make a mistake. olasılık
Permission Can I leave early, please? izin
Requests Can you give me a hand? rica
Offers Can I help you out? teklif, öneri
can’t / cannot Inability I can’t play the piano. yetersizlik
Possibility Can’t you come any earlier? olasılık
Prohibition You can’t leave until I say so. yasaklama
Deduction This bill can’t be right. sonuç çıkarma
can’t have Deduction She’s gone to the wrong door – she can’t have seen the sign. Sonuç çıkarma
could Past ability The shop had nothing that I could afford.
Possibility There could be trouble if the Government tries to force this measure through.
Requests Could you give me a hand?
Asking for permission Could I leave a bit early today?
Permission in the past When I was young, I could stay up late at weekends if I promised to be good.
Deduction That could be John’s car I can hear – he said he was coming.
Idiomatic You could at least tell me what they said (= I think you should …)
couldn’t Past inability I couldn’t walk until I was nearly two.
Impossibility I couldn’t eat another thing!
Requests Couldn’t you try again?
Prohibition in the past My mum used to insist that we couldn’t go out until we’d tidied our bedroom.
Deduction It couldn’t be Joe, could it? I thought he was away on business.
Idiomatic I couldn’t agree more’ (= I strongly agree)
could have Possibility in the past Your actions could have had serious consequences.
Annoyance You could have told me! (= I wish you had told me)
couldn’t have Impossibility in the past He couldn’t have taken your car by mistake because he didn’t have the keys.
Idiomatic It couldn’t have been better (=It was perfect)
may Possibility We may go to France next year.
Expressing hopes May you both be very happy.
Permission You may go when you’ve finished.
Offers May I be of any assistance.
Concession They may live next door but we hardly ever see them.
may not Possibility We may not go to France this year.
Prohibition You may not go until you’ve finished.
Concession I may not be very intelligent but I can work out the answer to that question.
may have / Possibility in the past They may not have left yet.
may not have Concession He may have written books on the subject, but that doesn’t mean he’s a world expert.
might Past form of may He said he might come with us.
after past tense verbs
Possibility This expedition might be quite dangerous.
Suggestions You might try phoning directory inquiries.
Requests Might I borrow some money?
Annoyance You might at least say you are sorry!
Concession He might seem rude, but he’s not really.
might not Past form of may not He said he might not come with us.
after past tense verbs
Possibility You might not like it.
Concession He might not wear glasses, but his eyesight is not perfect either.
might have Possibility in the past They might have been trying to contact us.
Annoyance You might have told me! (= I wish you have told me)
Concession She might have worked hard, but you wouldn’t know it from her results.
might not have Possibility in the past They might not have noticed the sign.
Concession She might not have done all the work, but she certainly got good results.
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must Deduction What’s that noise? It must be raining.
Obligation You must take your shoes off in here.
Necessity The wires must touch or it won’t work.
mustn’t Prohibition You mustn’t worry – you’ll be fine.
must have Deduction in the past I must have left my wallet in the car.
Necessity in the past In order to qualify for the job, you must have had several years.
mustn’t have Necessity in the past You mustn’t have had any driving convictions or you won’t get the job.
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shall Prediction (I and we) I think we shall get back early next week.
Intention (I and we) We shall give our final decision tomorrow.
Offers (I and we) Shall I give you a hand?
Official orders All the candidates shall remain in their seats until the end of the examination.
Asking for advice What shall we do now?
shan’t Prediction We shan’t get back much before ten.
Intention I shan’t let him do that again.
shall / shan’t have Prediction We shall have finished by this evening (= future perfect)
We shan’t have another opportunity if we don’t win today.
should / ought to (Those uses marked
* are also appropriate
to ought to)
Giving your opinion* The traffic should / ought to be lighter today.
Expressing doubt I should think it will rain today.
Advice* You should / ought to go out more often.
Obligation* (duty) People should / ought to treat each other better.
Instructions All visitors should report to reception.
Conditional If anyone should phone / Should anyone phone, tell them I’m out.
With that-clauses It is suggested that he should take a break.
after certain verbs
With that-clauses It is essential that you should contact us.
after adjectives
In purpose clauses They spoke quietly so that nobody should hear what they were saying.
expressing doubt
shouldn’t/oughtn’t to (Those uses marked*
are also appropriate
to oughtn’t to)
Advice* You shouldn’t / oughtn’t to drive so fast.
Obligation* (duty) People shouldn’t / oughtn’t to be so aggressive.
Giving your opinion* The traffic shouldn’t / oughtn’t to be too bad today.
With that-clauses I suggested that he shouldn’t work so hard.
after certain verbs
Expressing doubt I shouldn’t think he’d enjoy it.
should have / Advice in the past You should have told me before.
shouldn’t have / Giving your opinion* The traffic should have / ought to have been lighter earlier today.
ought to have / about the past
oughtn’t to have Expressing doubt I shouldn’t have thought he’d have enjoyed it.
about the past You should have / ought to have been there hours ago.
obligation* (duty) in They shouldn’t have driven so fast.
the past. I suggested that he should have taken a break.
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will Prediction They’ll be here soon.
Predicting the present They’ll be there by now.
Truths and facts This car will only run on unleaded petrol.
Obligation / orders All passengers will proceed to Gate 7 immediately.
Habits She’ll always try to help you whenever she can.
Annoying habits He will smoke when I’m trying to eat.
Willingness I’ll give you a hand if you like.
Intention I’ll put the letter in the post this evening.
won’t prediction They won’t be here for a while.
predicting the present They won’t be there yet.
truths and facts This car won’t start.
Refusal He won’t join in unless he’s first.
Intention I won’t come this evening, I’m afraid.
will have / won’t have Prediction I won’t have finished this book by this evening.
Predicting the past They’ll have easily got there by now.
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would Prediction They said they would be here soon.
Predicting the present I thought they’d be there by now.
Describing imaginary You’d look better with your hair shorter.
situations
Habits in the past She would always try to help you.
Annoying habits in He would smoke when I was trying to eat.
the past
Requests Would you open the door for me?
Intentions in the past He said he’d put the letter in the post later.
Typical (annoying) It would start raining just as we went out.
behaviour
Advice I’d talk to him about it if I were you.
would have / Events in the past I’d have met you at the station if I’d known you were coming.
wouldn’t have which didn’t happen
Or which did happen I wouldn’t have told you if I’d known you’d be so upset.
Tentative thoughts I’d have thought he’d have jumped at the chance.
Deductions about I first went to Italy when I was at university; that would have been in 1982.
the past
As past form of will He promised he would have posted it before five o’clock.
In reported speech