What Are Modal Verbs?

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Modal verbs show possibility, intent, ability, or necessity. Because they’re a type of auxiliary verb (helper verb), they’re used together with the main verb of the sentence. Common examples include can, should, and must. 

Modal verbs can be tricky, especially when it comes to using them in a sentence. The good news is that they’re simple once you learn how they work. Below, we explain everything you need to know to use modal verbs with ease. 

What are modal verbs? 

Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions, such as advice, capability, or requests (there’s a full list in the next section). They’re used alongside a main verb to change its meaning slightly. Because they’re auxiliary verbs, they can’t necessarily be used on their own. (A modal verb should only appear alone if it’s clear from context what the main verb is.) 

Consider the difference between these two examples: 

I swim every Tuesday. 

I can swim every Tuesday. 

The first example is a simple factual statement. The speaker participates in a swimming activity every week on Tuesdays. 

The second example uses the modal verb can. Notice how the meaning changes slightly. The speaker does not swim every Tuesday; they’re saying they are capable of swimming every Tuesday if they need to. It’s hypothetical. 

Modal verbs are quite common in English, and you’ve probably seen them hundreds of times without actually knowing their name. The most frequently used ones are: 

• can
• may
• might
• could 
• should
• would
• will
• must

There are more modal verbs, although the ones above are the most common. Some modal verbs are outdated and rarely used—like shall and ought to—while others are more colloquial—such as got to, need to, or have to. Some express very specific conditions that don’t come up often, like dare, for example, “I dare say.” The phrase used to, as in “I used to be an English student, too,” also behaves like a modal verb. 

When are modal verbs used? 

What special conditions do modal verbs show? Here’s a list of when to use modal verbs, along with examples: 

Likelihood

Some things seem likely, but we don’t know for sure. In these cases, you can use the modal verbs should and must to show probability without certainty. 

Her parents must be so proud. 

My baby brother should be asleep by now. 

Possibility

In situations when something is possible but not certain, use the modal verbs could, may, or might. 

Judging by the clouds, it might rain today. 

She may become the youngest pro soccer player ever. 

Ability

The modal verb can shows whether or not the subject is able to do something, such as perform an action or demonstrate an ability. Likewise, the negative form, cannot or can’t, shows that the subject is unable to do something. 

She can speak three languages, but none of them well. 

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. 

Asking permission

If you want to ask permission to do something, start your question with can, may, or could. Traditionally, in more formal and polite usage, may is better for permission; if you ask “can I go to the bathroom?” it could be misinterpreted as, “do I have the ability to go to the bathroom?” (However, in modern usage mayand can are both perfectly acceptable options when describing possibility or permission.)

May I leave early today? 

Could I play too?

Request

Similarly, if you want to ask someone else to do something, start your question with will, would, can, or could. 

Would you get that box off the top shelf? 

Will you turn that music down? 

Suggestion/advice

What if you want to recommend something, but not command it? If you’re giving suggestions or advice without ordering someone around, you can use the modal verb should. 

You should try the lasagna. 

That guy should wear less cologne. 

Command

On the other hand, if you want to command someone, use the modal verbs must, have to, or need to. 

You must wash your hands before cooking. 

You need to be here before 8:00. 

Obligation or necessity

Modal verbs can express a necessary action, such as an obligation, duty, or requirement. Likewise, the negative form expresses that an action is not necessary. Use the same modal verbs as with commands: must, have to, or need to. 

We have to wait for our boss to arrive before we open. 

You don’t need to come if you don’t want to. 

Habit

To show an ongoing or habitual action—something the subject does regularly—you can use the modal verb would for the past tense and will for the present and future. The phrase used to is also acceptable if you’re talking about a habit that no longer exists. 

When I lived alone, I would fall asleep with music. 

I will arrive early and leave late to every meeting. 

How to use modal verbs (with examples)

Luckily, using modal verbs in a sentence is pretty simple. For basic sentences—the simple present tense—just remember these rules: 

• Modal verbs always come directly before the main verb (except for questions).
• With modal verbs, use the infinitive form of the main verb without “to”.

So, if you want to brag about your ability to eat an entire pizza, you take the infinitive form of “eat” without “to”—which is simply “eat”—and add the modal verb “can” in front of it. The rest of the sentence continues as normal. 

I can eat an entire pizza. 

For questions, you still use the infinitive form of the main verb, but the order is a little different: 

[modal verb] + [subject] + [main verb]

So let’s rephrase the example above as a question:

Can you eat an entire pizza? 

Because modal verbs largely deal with general situations or hypotheticals that haven’t actually happened, most of them are in the present tenses. However, some of them can be used in different verb tenses, so let’s talk a little about how to construct them. 

Present tenses

We already covered the simple present above, but you can also use modal verbs in the present continuous and present perfect continuous tenses. 

Present continuous

After the modal verb, use the word be followed by the –ing form of the main verb. 

[modal verb] + be + [verb in -ing form]

I should be going. 

Present perfect continuous

You can add a modal verb before a verb in the present perfect continuous tense without changing much. However, when using a modal verb, you must always use “have,” never “had,” even if the subject is third-person. 

[modal verb] + have been + [verb in -ing form]

She must have been sleeping. 

Past tenses and present perfect

Putting a modal verb in the simple past, past continuous, and perfect tenses is a little trickier. 

For starters, two modal verbs in particular have a simple past tense: can and will. If you want to use either of those in any of the past tenses, you must first conjugate them into their past-tense form: 

• can -> could
• will -> would

All the others remain the same, although some can’t be used in the past at all. Modal verbs often deal with hypotheticals, but if an action already happened in the past, it can’t be hypothetical. These are mostly for speculating about the past, such as wondering “what if . . .”

None of the modal verbs can be used in the past perfect or past perfect continuous. 

Simple past

Of the main modal verbs listed at the top, only can and will can be used in the simple past. Have to and need to can also be used, as long as they’re conjugated accordingly as had to and needed to. Other modal verbs use the present perfect to discuss events in the past. 

Can and will use their past tense form plus the infinitive form of the main verb without “to,” just like in the present. 

could/would + [verb in infinitive]

I could do a handstand when I was a kid. 

During exam season in college, I would not sleep much. 

Past continuous

Again, only can and will can be used in the past continuous. It’s formed just like the present continuous, except with the past form of the modal verb. 

could/would + be + [verb in -ing form]

I could be working right now. 

Present perfect

Instead of using the infinitive form of the main verb, just use the present perfect form, which is “have” plus the past participle. As before, you must always use “have,” even if the subject is third-person. 

If you’re using can, be sure to use its past tense form of could. 

[modal verb] + have + [past participle]

I might have gone to the party, but I forgot. 

Future tenses 

The truth is that most of the future tenses already use modal verbs because they use “will.” If you want to use different modal verb, such as “can” or “should,” you can use it normally with the infinitive form of the verb, and without will. 

I can hang out tomorrow. 

Should I major in law next year?

FRIENDS

CHARACTERS:

Mario

Henry

Mrs. Carwin

Henry’s mother (no dialogues)

SCRIPT:

(Mario is in his bedroom doing the homewok.  There’s a knock at the door)

Mario: I’m sorry Mom, I’m not hungry.

Henry: Open the door, it’s me… Henry.

(Mario stands up and opens the door)

Mario: Hi, Henry, come on in.

(Henry enters the room)

Henry: How are you Mario?.

Mario: Not so good.

Henry: What’s wrong?.

Mario: Sometimes I just feel so lonely… and I’ve bee having a lot of problems lately.

Henry: Do you want to talk about it?.

Mario: Well as you know, my father got a job in another city, and my mother is working really hard.  We wanted to go and see him this weekend, but she has to work on Saturday, so we won’t be able to go… and I wanted so much to see him!

Henry: Mario, remember that this Saturday we have our school play.

Mario: Oh.. I totally forgot about the play!

Henry: Ha, ha, ha, ha , See..  Things are not so bad!  You are the main character!  What would Little Red Riding Hood be without the wolf!

Mario: Ha, ha, ha, ha … He wouldn’t eat her? Ha, ha, ha…Thanks for remind me.  Oh, wait, but that’s not all…. my aunt called last night, and she said that my grandmother fell down and she broke her leg!

Henry: I’m sorry to hear that.  But she’s a strong woman, so I think that she will recover soon.

Mario: You’re right… but since my aunt will take care of her until she recovers, she asked my mom to buy her a wheelchair.  And now my mom is really worried because…

Henry: Hey, we have my grandfather’s wheelchair at home… I’ll ask my mom to lend it to you and bring it tomorrow.

Mario: Really?  Oh, thanks.

Henry: Do you feel better now?.

Mario: Yes, I do.  You really cheered me up today… I mean, I was really worried about everything, and you even made me laugh!.

Henry: That’s what friends are for.

(Mario’s mother enter the room)

Mrs. Carwin: Henry, your mother is waiting for you outside

Henry: Thank you, Mrs. Carwin.  Well, Mario, I have to go.

(Henry, Mario, and Mrs. Carwin get out of the room and go outside)

Mario: Thanks for coming over… and thanks for being my friend.

(Henry waves good-bye and  starts to walk away along with his mother..  Mario yells at him)

Mario: Henry!  You didn’t tell why you came to see me!

(Henry yells back while he keeps walking)

Henry: I just wanted to tell you something!.

Mario: What is it!.

Henry: My mom took me to the doctor, and he said I have a brain tumor.  He also said there’s nothing he can do to save my life, and that all I have to do… is wait to die.  Have a nice day, my friend!.

(Henry waves good-bye)

Mario: Oh, mom, he came to tell me the news.  When he asked me how I was, I forgot about him, and I only talked about me and my problems.  He was smiling all the time, just to make me feel better… even though he is in a worse situation.  That’s incredible!.

Mrs. Carwin: Now,  try to spend as much time as possible with him.

Mario: I will mom… From now on, I will enjoy every minute I spend with him, and with everybody I love.

(They hug)

THE END

Author: Unknown

Adapted by: K I D S I N C O

Moral:  Life is like climbing a mountain.  If you look up, you will be the last one in line, but If you look down, you will see that a lot of people would want to be in your place.

WHAT   IS FRIENDSHIP?

“Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together”

Woodrow Wilson

– In order to make friendship stronger, it`s necessary to take care of our friends. Give them advice, be with them, and tell them the truth.

– We can have a good time with our friends.

– A good friend will never ask us to do something that will harm us, or will never ask us to do something that it`s not right to do.

– We should be loyal to our friends, and support them.

– We should not lie or betray a friend.

– We should accept our friends the way they are.

– We show our love to others by sharing, helping, and understanding them.

– Even if we don`t see our friends all the time, love and friendship will still be there.

– A friend is our best companion.

– In order to have good friends, we should be kind and sincere with them. We should treat our friends the way we want to be treated.

– When a friend feels sad or is sick, we should be nice and ask him/her what is wrong.

– Among friends there is trust and respect.

– We should never take advantage of our friends.

– If we hurt a friend, we should apologize.

– We should keep the promise we make to our friends.

– We should not fight when we play with our friends.

– We have to be sincere. Don’t critize. Be nice and kind. Be patient.

– We can always count on with our friends.

THE GOOD MAN AND HIS SON ( a playscript about not listening to everyone's words)

THE GOOD MAN AND HIS SON

 

CHARACTERS:

FATHER

SON – Peter

MAN

MRS. LIZ

OLD MAN

GIRL

 

SCRIPT:

 

ACT 1 – ON THE COUNTRYSIDE

 

(Father, his Son Peter, and the Donkey enter stage)

 

FATHER:  (to his son) Tell me Peter, did you feed Snooky?.

 

SON: Yes, father, I did.  Where are we going so early?.

 

FATHER: We´re going to town to do some shopping.  Come on, hurry up, it´s getting late.

 

(they walk a little. A man enters stage)

 

MAN:  Good morning.  Where are you going so early?.

 

FATHER:  We´re going to St. James.

 

MAN:  Forgive me for asking, but why are you going on foot if you can ride your donkey?.

 

SON: (to his father) He’s right!.  Tell me why?.

 

FATHER:  (to the Man) I appreciate your advice… and good bye, it´s getting late. (the man leaves stage) Who´s going to ride the donkey?.

 

SON: You are, father. I can walk.

 

(the man gets on the donkey and walk a little. A woman carrying a basket enters stage)

 

FATHER: Good morning, Mrs. Liz.

 

MRS. LIZ: Good Morning (she stops and watches them). I know that this is none of my business, but why is this poor, little and sweet boy walking?.  And why is this strong man riding the donkey?.

 

SON:  (to his father) Mrs. Liz is right. Don´t you think so father?.

 

FATHER:  Ok, I’ll get off the donkey, and you get on.

 

(Father gets off the donkey and his son gets on. They walk a little.  An old man enters stage).

 

OLD MAN: Good morning.  (he stops and watches them)

 

FATHER: Good morning.

 

OLD MAN: Oh my!.  When I was young these things never happened!.  Why is a young and healthy boy riding the donkey, and his poor father is walking?.  This is so disrespectful!.  Oh, my!.

 

(the old man leaves the stage whispering)

 

FATHER: What do you think about what the old man said?.

 

SON: I think he´s right. It would be better if you too ride the donkey.

 

(Father gets on the donkey, now both are riding the donkey, and walk a little. A girl enters stage running).

 

GIRL:  (approaches the donkey) What a sweet donkey! . What´s his name?.

 

SON: His name is Snooky.

 

GIRL: Oh, poor Snooky!.  Look at his tired face. Why are you both riding this poor donkey. (she leaves stage whispering) Poor donkey!.

 

FATHER: (a little impatient) And now, what are we going to do, my son?.

 

SON: I think that the girl is right, father.   Snooky looks tired, let´s carry the donkey ourselves and nobody will critize us.

 

FATHER: Ok,  lets see what happens.

 

(both get off the donkey and carry him. They can hardly walk. The man, Mrs. Liz, the old man, and the girl enter stage)

 

MAN:  (laughing) What´s this!.  I´ve never seen anything like this!.

 

MRS. LIZ: (laughing) What a pair of fools!.

 

OLD MAN: How funny you look carrying a donkey.

 

(they leave the stage)

 

FATHER: (angry) And now, what are we going to do, my son?.

 

SON: To tell you the truth.  I don´t know, father. We did what they told us to do, but we couldn´t please them.  Everybody critized us, and now they laugh at us.

FATHER: Look, my son. I wanted you to see with your own eyes that there are many different opinions and that it´s not possible to please everybody.

 

SON:  What are we going to do now?.

 

FATHER: Well, you must think right and decide what you think it´s better.

 

SON: Even if not everybody agrees. I know what to do!. You will ride the donkey half of the way, and I will ride him the other half. Along the way, we can also walk a little, so that Snooky can rest.

 

FATHER: (gets on the donkey) Well done, my son. We will do just that.   Come on Snooky, start walking!.

 

SON: (looking convinced) Let people talk!.

 

(they leave the stage singing)

 

THE END

 

Author: Aesop Fable

 

Adapted by: K I D S I N C O

 

Moral:  We can not always do what people want us to do.  We can´t please everybody because there will always be someone who will not  agree with us. Don´t listen to other people’s gossip.