Level 7: Modal verbs

1. Hola!, ahora estudiaremos un tema del cual ya tienes conocimiento, estos son los verbos
modales los cuales te ayudaran a expresar obligación necesidad, prohibición, preferencia,
posibilidad, habilidad y a deducir con base a cierta información, son sencillos estos verbos solo
si debemos memorizarlos y considerar como es que su uso funciona y como se utilizan los
verbos que acompañan a estos modales. Estudiemos su uso y recuerda memorizar los detalles
de ellos.
Modal Verbs

2. Must –have to – need
Expressing obligation and prohibition
• must+ base form expresses personal obligation in the present or future
Ex: I must finish this by tonight. (=I say so)
• have to + base form expresses external obligation in the present or future
Ex:You have to drive on the left when you’re in England (=It’s the law)
• mustn’t+ base form expresses prohibition in the present or future
Ex:You mustn’t park here. (You aren’t allowed to)
• had to + base form expresses obligation in the past.
Ex:When I was at school I had to wake up at 7 o´clock every morning

3. Expressing Necessity and Absence
• need to + base form expresses necessity in the present or future
Ex: I need to know how many people will be at the party
• don’t have to/don’t need to / needn’t + base form expresses absence of necessity in the present or future
Ex: You don’t have to call us again. (=It isn’t necessary)
Ex: She doesn’t need to send her CV again
You needn’t worry. Everything is under control
• needed to + base form expresses necessity in the past.
Ex: We needed to buy some more soft drinks, so we went to the supermarket
• didn’t have to / didn’t need to + base form expresses ansence of necessity in the past (something wasn’t
necessary and may or may not have been done
Ex: I didn’t have to / didn’t need to pick up the kids from school

4. had better + base form is used to give strong advice. It often expresses threat or warning and it is stronger than
should/ought to . It referes to the present or future, not the past. It’s negative form is had better not. In spoken
English the short form is commonly used (I’d better, you’d better, etc.)
Ex: You’d better ask a doctor about it
would rather + base form is used to express preference about the present or future. It is usually followed by tan. Its
negative form is would rather not. In spoken English the short form is commonly used (I’d rather, you’d rather, etc. ).
Ex: I’d rather listen to pop music than jazz
Expressing possibility
May/ might/ could + base form expresses possibility in the present or future
Ex: He could /may/might be at home now
May not/might not + base form express the possibility that something will not happen in the present or future.
Ex: We may not /might not go to the party tonight.
Making Deductions
Must + base form express certainly that something is true
Ex: My parents must be at work now.
Can’t + base form expresses belief that something is impossible
Ex: You can’t be serious

5. Ahora tuviste la oportunidad de revisar los verbos modales, recuerda que los modales son
verbos o expresiones que expresan algo en especifico como los que acabas de ver, los
cuales pueden expresar obligación, habilidad, necesidad, etc., debes recordar que en
cuestión gramatical es muy importante recordar que los verbos que acompañan estos
modales están siempre en su forma simple o como se les llama en inglés base form, nunca
se modificara, en realidad solo debes recordar a lo que se refiere el verbo modal porque la
gramática es muy sencilla de recordar
Esperamos que este nuevo tema no se te haya complicado, nuevamente te recordamos
que esto es un repaso de estos verbos modales que con anterioridad has visto en cursos
pasados encontraras un ejercicio de este tema asignado como tarea asignada. Suerte para
tu próxima lección y recuerda que cualquier duda o complicación que llegaras a tener,
recurre al profesor a cargo del curso quien con gusto te apoyará.

6. TECNOLÓGICO DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES DE
CUAUTITLAN IZCALLI (TESCI)