MODAL VERBS

PRESENT PAST

can On a clear day, you ______________

can see the 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
not able to without my glasses. was able to Luckily we didn’t get lost because Alice
was able to
______________get directions from someone.
(specific occasion)

could Without treatment your health _______

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

may may be able to join you later, but I can’t

I _________ may have missed the ferry because of
may have They _______________
possibility say for sure. the traffic.

might might
Let’s have dinner indoors because it _______ might have This place _______________important
might have been in
rain later. ancient times, 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 couldn’t have won the competition
She _________________
have without her family’s support.

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

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

no obligation don’t have to You __________________

don’t have to bring your own towel didn’t need to We ________________
didn’t need to pay because the concert
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 hurried because the train
needn’t have We____________
/unnecessary left 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 play outside
When I was a child, we ________
(it is allowed)
permission as much as we wanted.

may May I ask where you bought that beautiful dress?

_____
(more formal) couldn’t couldn’t travel
In the old days, people ________________
abroad without a visa.
can’t can’t sit at this table, it’s reserved.
I’m sorry, you ________
(it is not allowed)
prohibition
mustn’t mustn’t start writing until the teacher says so.
You _________

should / shouldn’t eat too many sweets when you

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/ People ___________
ought to be more careful about saving
ought not to energy in the home.