MODAL

VERBS
PRESENT PAST

can On a clear day, you ______________ the

can see could In the old days you ______________
could buy
mountains from my balcony. everything at the local market. (general)

ability
be able to I’m ______________read without my glasses.
not able to was able to Luckily we didn’t get lost because Alice
was able to
______________get direcGons from someone.
(specific occasion)

could Without treatment your health _______ at risk.

could be could have let
could have She ________________ us know about the
change, but she forgot.

may may be
I _________ able to join you later, but I can’t may have missed
may have They _______________ the ferry because of
possibility say for sure. the traffic.

might might
Let’s have dinner indoors because it _______ might have This place _______________important in
might have been
rain later. ancient Gmes, but experts are not sure.

can’t can’t cross

You ___________the river here because the can’t have seen
can’t have You _______________James in town today
bridge is closed. because he was at home all day.

impossibility
couldn’t have won
couldn’t She _________________ the compeGGon
have without her family’s support.

must must be
You___________exhausted aOer walking such must have They _______________terribly worried when
must have been
certainty a long way. their children didn’t come home.
 must Everyone _______report to me before they go home.
must had to We ____________home by train because the
had to come
(the obliga<on is by the speaker) airport was closed.

obligaGon
have to The new law means that we _________pay more
have to
for public transport.
(the obliga<on comes from outside)

no obligaGon don’t have to You __________________ your own towel
don’t have to bring didn’t need to We ________________ because the concert
didn’t need to pay
because everything is provided. was free.
(unnecessary and didn’t happen)

don’t need to tell
don’t need to You _________________me what happened. I
saw it all for myself. needn’t have
needn’t have We____________ hurried because the train
/unnecessary leO late anyway.
(unnecessary, but has happened)
needn’t needn’t
We’re going to eat out tonight, so you _______
cook for us.

can can
You _____park outside the shop on weekdays. could could
When I was a child, we ________ play outside
(it is allowed)
permission as much as we wanted.

may May
_____ I ask where you bought that beauGful dress?
(more formal) couldn’t couldn’t travel
In the old days, people ________________
abroad without a visa.
can’t can’t sit
I’m sorry, you ________ at this table, it’s reserved.
(it is not allowed)
prohibiGon
mustn’t
mustn’t You _________ start wriGng unGl the teacher says so.

should / shouldn’t eat

You_____________ too many sweets when you
shouldn’t are on a diet.
the right should have
should have/ You ___________asked me before borrowing
thing to do ought to have my bike.
ought to be
ought to/ People ___________ more careful about saving
ought not to energy in the home.