GRAMMAR

 In English, they are special verbs which behave differently from normal verbs. These verbs are very used and therefore very important. There are called : modal verbs.

Modal verbs

The modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They are used with other verbs to express ability, obligation, possibility, and so on. Below there is a list showing the most useful modals and their most common meanings:

Modal	Meaning	Example
can	to express ability	I can play tennis.
can	to request permission	Can I play with the guitar?
may	to express possibility	I may be able to run the race.
may	to request permission	May I participate to this concert?
must	to express obligation	I must practice piano.
must	to express strong belief	She must be a very good tennis player.
should	to give advice	You should some exercise.
would	to request or offer	Would you like to play a game?
would	in if-sentences	If I were you, I would take part in that competition.

Modal verbs are unlike other verbs. They do not change their form (spelling) and they have no infinitive or participle (past/present). The modals must and can need substitute verbs to express obligation or ability in the different tenses. Here are some examples:

Past simple	Sorry I'm late. I had to finish my violin lesson.
Present perfect	He's had to practise football since he were young to became such an athlete.
Future	You'll have to learn your text well if you want to participate.
Infinitive	Tennis players have to take great care of their body articulations.

Past simple	I couldn't/wasn't able to play chess properly until I was 6 years old.
Present perfect	I haven't been able this article in Russian. Can you help me?
Future	I'm not sure if I will be able to come to your party.
Infinitive	I would love to be able to play the piano.

Modals are auxiliary verbs. They do not need an additional auxiliary in negatives or questions. For example: Must I come? (Do I must come?), or: He shouldn't smoke (He doesn't should smoke).
Important: The explanations and examples on this page are just an introduction to this extensive and complex area of English grammar. Students of English who want to learn more should consult a good reference work, such as Swan's Practical English Usage.

Do a quiz on modal verbs.