Modal Verbs

1 min

modals

CEFR B1·modals

Formula

can / could / may / might / must / should

Examples

Positive

You can speak three languages.

Negative

I cannot play the piano. He should not have done that.

Question

Can you help me? Could you lend me some money?

Usage

•Ability (can), possibility (may/might), necessity (must), advice (should)
•Expressing obligation, permission, and possibility
•Making polite requests and offers

More Examples

You must wear a seatbelt.
Strong obligation (rule)
She may leave early today.
Permission granted
It might snow tomorrow.
Weak possibility about the future
You should see a doctor.
Advice / recommendation
Could I borrow your pen?
Polite request

Common Mistakes

✗Using "must" for deduction in negative: "He mustn't be home" (prohibition) vs "He can't be home" (deduction).
✗Modals don't take -s or infinitive "to": "She musts go" and "She must to go" are both wrong.

Tips

✓"Must" expresses personal obligation; "have to" expresses external obligation.
✓"May" is more formal than "might" for possibility.

Modal Verbs Quick Reference

Meaning, negative form, and examples for every modal

Modal	Positive meaning	Negative form + meaning	Example
Ability
can	present ability	can't — impossibility / prohibition	She can speak three languages. You can't park here.
could	past ability / polite ask	couldn't — past impossibility	He could run fast when he was young. I couldn't find my keys.
Permission
can	informal permission	can't — refusal of permission	Can I use your phone? You can't come in.
may	formal permission	may not — formal refusal	May I leave early? You may not enter.
could	polite request	—	Could you open the window?
Possibility
may	real possibility (~50%)	may not — possible non-occurrence	It may snow tonight. It may not be true.
might	weak possibility (~30%)	might not — weak non-occurrence	She might come to the party. He might not agree.
could	theoretical possibility	—	That could be dangerous.
Obligation & Necessity
must	strong personal obligation	mustn't — prohibition (NOT no obligation)	You must wear a seatbelt. You mustn't smoke here.
have to	external obligation	don't have to — no obligation	I have to finish this report. You don't have to come.
need to	necessity	needn't / don't need to — unnecessary	You need to see a doctor. You needn't bring food.
Advice & Recommendation
should	advice / moral duty	shouldn't — inadvisable	You should get more sleep. You shouldn't eat so much sugar.
ought to	moral obligation	ought not to	You ought to apologise. You ought not to lie.
Future & Prediction
will	prediction / promise / offer	won't — refusal / negative prediction	It will rain tomorrow. I won't tell anyone.
shall	offer / suggestion (BrE)	—	Shall I carry that for you?
would	conditional / polite request	wouldn't — conditional negative	Would you like some tea? She wouldn't agree.

Advanced Notes

Modal verbs form a system of overlapping meanings — context decides which reading applies. "Could" covers past ability, polite requests, and tentative possibility all at once. Register matters: "may" for permission sounds formal or even stiff in casual speech, where "can" dominates. The must/have-to distinction is real but collapsing in everyday British English — learners often over-apply "must" where a native would say "have to". Modal negatives are false friends: "mustn't" = prohibition, "don't have to" = no obligation — opposite meanings.

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Compare With

Can / Could(A2)

Modal Verbs

Formula

Examples

Usage

More Examples

Common Mistakes

Tips

Modal Verbs Quick Reference

Advanced Notes

Compare With

Other B1 Topics

Present Perfect

Present Perfect Continuous

Passive Voice (Basic)

Used To

Future Continuous

Question Tags

Linking Words: However, Although, Despite, In Spite Of