MODAL VERBS
En el post de hoy vamos a ver los verbos modales.
MODAL VERBS: can, be able to, must, may, might, should, ought to
CAN
1. Poder: (im)posibilidad/permiso
I can/ cannot (cant´t) go to your party/ Can I go to your party?
2. Saber: habilidad
He can/ cannot speak French/ play the guitar.
COULD
1. Poder (pasado): puedes porque sabes.
I could run 20 km when I was young.
2. Podría: posibilidad remota.
Could I use your pen? (más cortesía)/ You could get hurt
BE ABLE TO =ser capaz de
1. Como sustituto de can para usar en el future/ present perfect/ past perfect
I will can go to you party on Friday.
I will be able to go to you party on Friday.
I have been able to dance Bachata. (he sido capaz de)
I had been able to understand the lesson. (había sido capaz de)
2. Intercambiable en present/past
She can speak French very well.
She is able to speak French very well.
Finally, we could go to your party.
Finally, we were able to go to your party.
MUST
1. Deber (obligación)
You must study/ you must´nt tell lies.
Must I clean the kitchen? (respuesta: yes, you must/ no you must´nt don´t have to)
2. Deber de (deducción)
My parents must be sleeping.
I can´t find my brother. He must be in the park.
3. No se puede usar en pasado musted o had must. En el pasado se usa HAD TO.
HAVE TO
1. Tener que: Intercambiable por must
I must study/ I have to study.
2. En negative. No tener obligación de.
You don´t have to wear a dress in the party.
3. Para indicar must en past/ futuro
I had to study. (tuve/tenía que estudiar)
I will have to study.
NEED TO
1. Tener que/necesitas: necesidad. Intercambiable por have to.
I need to go/ I have to go.
You need to do more exercise
You needn´t go (don´t need to go) to the party/ You don´t have to go to the party
MAY
1. Puede que
It may rain/You may fail.
2. Permiso: May I use your pen?/ May I come in? (respuesta: yes you may, may not)
MIGHT
1. Podría (como could)
You might have an accident. (puede usarse el could) You could have an accident
It might rain. (it could rain)
2. Permiso
Might I use your pen? (Could I use your pen?)
SHOULD
1. Consejo: debería
You should study; otherwise you could fail your exams.
I shouldn´t smoke.
OUGHT TO
1. Intercambiable por should.
You ought to study.
You oughtn´t to smoke
MODAL PERFECT
MODAL+HAVE+ PARTICIPIO.
PARTICIPIO: VERBO REGULAR –ED STUDY a STUDIED
VERBO IRREGULAR BUY a BOUGHT
1. No se hizo pero había probabilidades:- COULD: You could have passed the exam- MIGHT: You might have had an accident (podrías haber tenido un accidente pero no lo tuviste)- SHOULD: You should have told him the truth. (no le has dicho la verdad)
2. Se hizo pero no era necesario:- NEED: You needn´t have brought a gift. (no hacía falta traer un regalo)
3. Se deduce que no se ha hecho:- CAN´T: She can´t have finished. It is too early.
4. Se deduce que se ha hecho:- MUST: He must have studied a lot. His exam is excellent. (debe de haber estudiado mucho)- MAY: He may have gone out. He doesn´t answer the phone.
5. Se ha hecho pero no debería haberse hecho.- SHOULDN´T: He shouldn´t have bought this house. It is too old.
¿DIFERENCIAS ENTRE MUST Y HAVE TO?
- Cuando usamos must y have to expresando obligación:
MUST implica que esa obligación viene de ti:
I must buy flowers for my mother. (It's her birthday and I decide to do that.)
HAVE TO implica que alguien te impone esa obligación.
I have to clean my bedroom (My mother wants me to clean my bedroom)
- Cuando queremos decir que estamos seguros de algo en forma negativa usamos CAN´T: He can´t be at home because I saw him at the park 5 minutes ago (No puede estar en casa porque le vi en el parque hace 5 minutos.)
