explanation of modal verbs for Spanish students of Bachillerato, years 11- 12

1. MODAL VERBS

2. INTRODUCTION
• Los verbos modales son invariables.
•
•
•
No se conjugan. Tienen la misma
forma en todas las personas
No necesitan auxiliares para formar
negaciones y preguntas
Siempre van seguidos de un verbo
en infinitivo (you should go to...)
Expresan diferentes FUNCIONES
(permiso, habilidad, prohibición...)

3. PROBABILITY
• Present/ future
o
That story COULD/ MIGHT be true
(vaguely probable)
(esa historia podría ser verdad)
That story MAY be true (probable)
(quizá sea verdad)
o That story MUST be true (highly
probable, certain)
(debe ser verdad)
o

4. POSSIBILITY/ PROBABILITY
•
Past (se utiliza el verbo modal seguido de un infinitivo
•
El infinitivo perfecto se forma con: HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
perfecto)
–
That story COULD/ MIGHT have been true (vaguely
probable)
(podría haber sido verdad)
–
That story MAY have been true (probable) (quizá haya
sido verdad)
–
That story MUST have been true (highly probable, certain)
(debe haber sido verdad)

5. OBLIGATION
• Present/ future (deber, tener que)
I MUST write a card for my mother
because it's her birthday
o I HAVE TO start work at 8:30
o She HAS TO be at home by 11.
Past (debía, tenía que)
o Yesterday I HAD TO go to hospital
o Last week she HAD TO take care of
her grandmother
o
•

6. LACK OF OBLIGATION
•
Present/ future (no es necesario que, no hace falta
•
Past (no era necesario que, no hacía falta que)
que)
o I NEEDN'T write to my mother because I'm going to
see her tomorrow
o I DON'T HAVE TO be in the office until 10 am
o She DOESN'T HAVE TO take her children to school,
because there is a school bus
o
o
I DIDN'T HAVE TO go to the office until 10 am
We DIDN'T HAVE TO bring our books today
because we were going to see a film

7. PROHIBITION
•
Present/ future (no se debe, no se puede, está
•
Past (no se podía, estaba prohibido)
prohibido)
o You MUSTN'T smoke in public places
o You CAN'T drive over 50 Km/hour in urban areas
o
o
We COULDN'T vote in last year's elections because
we were 17 years old.
They COULDN'T work in the USA because they
didn't have a work permit

8. ADVICE
• Present/ future (deberías, no deberías)
o
You SHOULD go to the doctor if you
don't feel well
o
You SHOULDN'T be late
o
You OUGHT TO ask the teacher if you
don't understand the exercise

9. ADVICE
•
Past: Para expresar consejo en pasado hay que usar el verbo
modal + infinitivo perfecto (have + past participle)
–
You SHOULD have gone to the doctor if you didn't feel well
(deberías haber ido al médico si no te sentías bien)
–
You SHOULDN'T have arrived late
( no deberías haber llegado tarde)
–
You OUGHT TO have asked the teacher if you didn't
understand the exercise (deberías haberle preguntado al
profesor)

10. PERMISSION/ REQUEST
•
Present/ future (puedo, podría)
You CAN use the computer if you need it
o You MAY use the computer if you need it
o CAN I open the window, please?
o COULD/ MAY I open the window, please?
o
•
Past (podía, pude)
When I was a child I COULD stay out as long as I
wanted. My parents were very flexible
o Yesterday Mr. Thomson COULD take the day off work
because his wife was in hospital
o

11. ABILITY
•
Present/ future (saber, poder, ser capaz)
o
o
o
•
I CAN speak three languages
I AM ABLE TO speak three languages
I CAN'T speak Japanese
Past (sabía, podía, era capaz)
o
o
o
I COULD ride a bike when I was 6
She HAS BEEN ABLE TO learn German in ten
months
You COULDN'T read when you were 2 years old

12. SOME PRACTICE
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