Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
USE
Present ABILITY Informal permission Informal polite request Present ABILITY(difficulty) Future ABILITY (I will be able to swim by the end of the course) polite question to make a suggestion Formal permission Polite request (only with I or we) Present & Future POSSIBILITY Present Logical DEDUCTION Believe or guess something is impossible Certain something is true (not mustnt) Give ADVICE and make recommendations (present) To give very strong ADVICE or make threats (present) OBLIGATION (present) NO OBLIGATION (present) Negative and interrogative (present) In affirmative is to express necessity PROHIBITION
EXAMPLES
I can / cant swim very well You can use my car tomorrow Can I borrow your pen? I am able to climb the highest mountain. (I will be able to run a race next Sunday) Shall I open the window? You may leave the room. May I borrow your pen? I may go to the beach next month He might not get tickets It cant be time to go already! He must be on holiday / He mustnt be at the gym (cant be) You ought (not) to overdo it. You should (not) overdo it. Youd better go or well be late Youd better not crash my car, or Ill be furious You must be fast You have to do 4 years of ESO You neednt buy any special equipment She doesnt have to join a gym. I need some salt / I dont need anything I need to get fitter / I need to get a job (I need get a job) You mustnt smoke / you mustnt take drugs
be able to will/wont be able to Shall may(not) might (not) could (not) cant must ought (not) to should (not) had better(not)+inf have to must neednt dont have to need (without to) need to mustnt
must & have to their meanings are similar in the affirmative. They are completely different in the negative (mustnt=prohibition / dont hav e to=no obligation)
Past
was/were able to could couldnt had to didnt haveto didnt need to could may might have+PastP Particular ABILITY in the past (in one occasion) General ABILITY in the past General & particular ABILITY in the past Past OBLIGATION To say that an action was not necessary (past) POSSIBILITY in the past IMPOSSIBILITY in the past Certainty or make logical DEDUCTION about the past Express regret or criticism about PAST events To say that an action was not necessary, but it happened anyway. He cant have gone to London. Ive just seen him. Its frozen. It must have been very cold recently I should have shouted He ought to have left the team I neednt have taken my swimming costume (I took my s.c. but I didnt need it) He injured his foot, but he was able to continue playing. She could run very fast when she was young He couldnt walk until he was two / I couldnt sing yesterday I had to lose three kilos before the operation I didnt need to/ didnt have to take my swimming costume (It was not necessary for me to take my s c) I could/may/might have left my towel at the beach
cant have +PastP must have +PastP should ought to have+PastP neednt have+PastP