• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Your English Web

English learning videos

  • Home
  • Grammar
  • Vocabulary
  • Business English
  • News English
  • English courses
  • ESL Conversation Questions

How to use modal verbs in English

By Admin Leave a Comment

modal verbs

In this English grammar lesson you will learn how we use modal verbs in English

We use modal verbs when we talk about:

ability

I can’t answer the phone at the moment. My hands are dirty.

I could swim when I was three years old.

certainty

You must have seen him. He was standing right next to you.

obligation and necessity

You should/ought to call your mother more often.

You must wear a seatbelt when travelling by car.

Permission

May I go to the bathroom?

May I use your phone to call home?

possibility

I finish work at 7pm so I might be late for dinner.

Prohibition

You can’t go to a night club. You are only 16 years old.

We also use modal verbs when we request things

Examples:

Could you close the door? It’s cold.

and when we suggest things or make an offer.

Examples:

Shall we take your car to the party?

Remember…

We don’t use modal verbs with ‘to’…

I must go now.

and questions with ‘do’

Must we go now?


Here’s another grammar lesson for you to study.

Please take a look at my English courses on curious.com

Filed Under: B2 (upper-intermediate), Grammar, tutorials, Video Tagged With: could, english lesson, grammar, modal verbs, should

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Are you human? * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

Leave the field below empty!

Primary Sidebar

Search for English

Subscribe on YouTube

Support me


Option




Online video lessons by Your English Web

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in