The modal verb can shows whether or not the subject is able to do something, such as perform an action or demonstrate an ability. She may become the youngest pro soccer player ever.

Judging by the clouds, it might rain today. In situations when something is possible but not certain, use the modal verbs could, may, or might. In these cases, you can use the modal verbs should and must to show probability without certainty. Some things seem likely, but we don’t know for sure. What special conditions do modal verbs show? Here’s a list of when to use modal verbs, along with examples: Likelihood 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. Some modal verbs are outdated and rarely used-like shall and ought to -while others are more colloquial-such as got to, need to, or have to. There are more modal verbs, although the ones above are the most common. Modal verbs are quite common in English, and you’ve probably seen them hundreds of times without actually knowing their name. The speaker does not swim every Tuesday they’re saying they are capable of swimming every Tuesday if they need to. The second example uses the modal verb can. The speaker participates in a swimming activity every week on Tuesdays. The first example is a simple factual statement. (A modal verb should only appear alone if it’s clear from context what the main verb is.)Ĭonsider the difference between these two examples: Because they’re auxiliary verbs, they can’t necessarily be used on their own. They’re used alongside a main verb to change its meaning slightly.

Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions, such as advice, capability, or requests (there’s a full list in the next section). Below, we explain everything you need to know to use modal verbs with ease. The good news is that they’re simple once you learn how they work. Modal verbs can be tricky, especially when it comes to using them in a sentence. Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly

What modals