Modaux

Capacité : CAN

Peut exprimer :

• la capacité : He can do it. He can swim.

• la permission : Can I leave the table ? Yes you can.

• l'offre : Can I help you ?

• la caractéristique occasionelle : He can really be mean.

Incapacité : CAN'T

Peut exprimer :

• l'impossibilité : I can't swim.

• Incapacité : I can't speak German.

• le refus de permission : Can I leave ? No you can't

• l'interdiction (générale) : You can't smoke ont the premises

• reproche : Can't you work a little harder ?

Capacité au passé : COULD

• capacité : When I was young, I could jog for hours

• la capacité hypothétique : I could write a book if I wanted to.

• la demande de permission : Could you open the door ?

• caractéristique occasionelle au passé : She could be very arrogant

• conseil / suggestion : You could be nicer to her, don't you think ?

• reproche : You could have asked me!

Incapacité au passé : COULDN'T

• Impossibilité / incapacité au passé : She couldn't come last year.

• Incapacité hypothétique : He couldn't win even if he wanted too

• Interdiction / refus de permission : Mum told us what we couldn't go to the cinema

Autorisation / Politesse : MAY

• Autorisation : Photos may be taken in the museum.

• Demande de permission : May I open the window ?

• Souhait : May it last!

Interdiction : MAY NOT

• Interdiction : Visitors may not walk on the grass

Conseil : MIGHT

• Conseil : You might buy a present for her

• Reproche : You might have tried harder

• Regret : I might have written sooner

Ordre : MUST

• Ordre / obligation : I must try harder

• Style indirect : She told me I must go

Interdiction : MUSN'T

• Interdiction : She musn't play with matches

Requête : WILL

• Proposition polie : Will you marry me ?

• Accord, désir, volonté : Yes, I will

• Caractéristique : Boys will be boys

Refus : WON'T

• Refus : I won't talk to you

Accord : WOULD

• Volonté : She told me she would do it

• Habitude : As a child, he would scream for hours

• Requête, proposition polie : Would you have dinner with us ?

Refus au passé : WOULDN'T

• Refus : She wouldn't talk to us.

Proposition : SHALL

• Offre : Shall I drive ?

• Prédiction : This time tomorrow, I shall be on holidays

• Volonté / détermination : I shall never give up

• Instructions : Teachers shall meet every morning

Ce sont des auxiliaires, ils se conjuguent comme des auxiliaires.

Modaux + Base Verbale

Prononciation : SHOU(L)D , COU(L)D , WOU(L)D