Modal verbs

Conceptul de capacitate, posibilitate, necesitate sau obligatie este redat de asa numitele
"modal auxiliary verbs" : can, could, shall, should, must, need, ought to, used to, dare.
Caracteristici:

Nu au infinitiv lung
Nu primesc "s" la persoana a III a singular prezent simplu
Nu primesc "-ing"
Verbele care urmeaza sunt la infinitiv scurt; excceptie: used to, ought to
Nu au toate timpurile si modurile unui verb normal, de aceea unele au echivalenti
Formeaza interogativul prin inversiune; negativul + not

Can-could to be able to
May-might (numai in Indirect Speech) to be allowed to; to be permited to
Must to have to

Verbe modale

Will
Shall
Can
Could
May
Might
Must
Need
Should
Ought to
Would
Used to
Dare

Will

Exprima vointa, hotarare

I will pay you as much as you ask for.
Promisiune I will not make such a mistake again.
Posibilitate, presupunere That girl will be his sister? (Fata ceea o fi sora lui?)
Ceva inevitabil (expresii fixe) Children will be children.Accidents will
happen(accidentele sunt inevitabile)
Inlocuieste prezentul simplu pentru actiune obisnuita, repetata I always drink
milk in the morning=I will drink milk in the morning
Invitatie, cerere politicoasa Will you come and...?( Vrei sa...?)

Shall
Hotarare The enemy shall not pass.
Promisiune If you get a good mark you shall have a present.
Refuz, insistenta, amenintare He shall pay for insulting my daughter.
Exprima o interdictie in acte oficiale All the candidats shall not bring(may not)
the dictionaries into the examination room.
Oferta, sugestie Shall I help you?

NOTA: What about going to the cinema? Lets go to the cinema, shall we?

Can
Abilitate fizica si intelectuala la prezent si viitor
Exprima o continuitate alaturi de verbele de perceptie
Exprima o permisiune (informal English)
Exprima o posibilitate atunci cand imprejurarile o permit If you come in my
town we can swim (I have a swimming pool)
Exprima o imposibilitate, neincredere: cu acest inteles
can poate fi urmat de un infinitiv prezent(pentru actiune simultana) sau
infinitiv perfect (pentru actiune anterioara )

Nu se poate/este imposibil sa faca o

asemenea greseala

He cant make such a mistake

Nu se poate sa fi facut o asemenea

greseala

He cant have made such a mistake

Exprima o cerere politicoasa Can I help you?

Could
Abilitate fizica si intelectuala la trecut.Cu acest inteles
can/could poate fi inlocuit cu echivalentul.Dar cand intelesul este de to succid
in, to manage, to achieve-se foloseste numai echivalentul, dar nu si la negativ
Cerere politicoasa, mai politicoasa deca
can Could I help you?

May
Exprima o permisiune(formal english).Cu acest inteles el poate fi inlocuit cu
echivalentul
to be allowed to; to be permited to
Exprima o posibilitate.Cu acest inteles el poate fi inlocuit cu it is
possible/maybe/perhaps

Poate ca o cunosti

It is possible for you to know

her
Maybe/perhaps you know her
You may hnow her

May+infinitiv continuu=posibilitatea unei actiuni in momentul vorbirii Ex: She may

be sleeping now.
May+infinitiv perfect=posibilitatea unei actiuni in trecut Ex: She may have lost the
key.
Exprima o urare, speranta May all your dreams come true! sau May good luck
attend you!
In propozitia concesiva dupa: whatever, whenever, whereever, whoever, thought,
althought, no matter how No matter how much money you have dont spend it in
one day1
In completiva directa dupa to hope, to trust:
I hope that you may find tickets.
In propozitia de scop dupa
so that: I sit on the first row so that I may see and hear well

Might

Exprima o permisiune la trecut

Exprima o posibilitate in prezent, viitor si trecut (o posibilitate mai
indepartata)

Might+infinitiv continuu=posibilitatea indepartata a unei actiuni in momentul vorbirii

Might+infinitiv perfect=posibilitatea indeparata a unei actiuni in trecut
Exprima indignare, iritare, repros You might look in to my eyes when Im talking
to you.
In propozitia concesiva dupa
: whatever, whenever, whereever, whoever, thought, althought, no matter how
In completiva directa dupa
to hope, to trust
In propozitia de scop dupa
so that

Must

Exprima obligatie, comanda, necesitate.Cu acest inteles el poate fi inlocuit cu

echivalentul
to have to

Must=obligatie impusa de vorbitor(regula)

Have to=obligatie externa impusa de autoritati sau imprejurari externe pe care
vorbitorul nu le poate controla

Dont have to
Lipsa de obligatie
Havent got to

Neednt
Must not

Interdictie, prohibitie (regula)

Eprima deductie, concluzie logica, probabilitate

NOTA: cand must exprima probabilitate el poate fi inlocuit cu:

Im sure/certain/positive
Certain/obviously
Its likely/probable
Is likely

Need
A.verb notional, obisnuit= to be need of (dupa care apare un pronume, substantiv, verb la
gerunziu sau infinitiv lung)
Ex: Mother needs a pair of shoes.The windows need washing.
B.Verb modal auxiliar=to have to apare mai mult in interogativ si negativ; poate sa apara
si in afirmativ alaturi de never, hardly, barely
Ex: She need hardly mention her name, since I know it.
Diferenta dintre prezent si trecut:

Prezent
Do I need...?

actiune obisnuita, repetata

Need I...?

ocazie speciala

Trecut

Didnt need to...

actiune care nu a fost necesara

si nu a fost facuta

Neednt have+V (forma a III a)

actiune care nu a fost necesara,

dar a fost facuta

Should

Exprima obligatie, sfat, recomandare(obligatia este mai slaba decat cea cu

must)
Exprima surpriza in intrebare retorica Ex:Why should I go there?
Exprima presupunere, deductie logica
In completiva directa dupa:
to suggest, to propose, to insist, to recommend, to advise, to urge...that
In propozitia subiectiva dupa constructii impersonale:
it is/was advisable/essential/better/fair/important/natural/necessary/right..that
In propozitia de scop dupa:
so that, in order that, lest(ca sa nu..., ca sa nu cumva...), for fear that
In propozitia conditionala tip I si II (intamplare)
Dupa verbe de emotie:
to feel sory, to be delighted, to be annoyed, to be shocked
Dupa:
dont think why, see no reason why, cant think why

Ought to (ar trebui, s-ar cuveni)

Exprima o datorie, obligatie morala

Ought to
+ Infinitive Perfect= datorie, obligatie neimplinita Ex:You ought to have waited
until the light were green.

NOTA: According to the wheather forecast it ought to rain today.He worked here for 5
years. You ought to know him.

Would

Exprima o cerere politicoasa

Would you pass...

Would you please...
Would you be so kind...
Would you mind+ V (-ing)
# Would like/care=want
# Would care nu se foloseste in afirmativ

Would rather (arata preferinta)

+infinitiv scurt (pentru acelasi subiect)

+past tense (pentru subiecte diferite)

Would better/had better (mai bine)
Would sooner (mai degraba)
Exprima o actiune repetata in trecut si incetata prezent (obisnuiam sa...)
Diferenta dintre
used to si would+infinitiv este ca al doilea se foloseste narativ
Apare dupa
wish si if only pentru o dorinta in viitor
Exprima o probabilitate Ex: That girl would be his sister!
Exprima o vointa la trecut iar la negativ refuz Ex:She had to go there whether she
would or wouldnt.

Used to
A nu se confunda cu
to use= a folosi
Used to
modal auxiliar cu forma numai de trecut
Desi e un modal auxiliar formeaza interogativul cu
did si negativul cu did not (formal english)
A nu se confunda cu:
to be/get accustomed to dupa care urmeaza un substantiv sau un verb la gerunziu
Ex:I am not used to drinking tea in the morning.

Dare

La afirmativ e un verb notional obisnuit

La interogativ si negativ el poate fi atat verb modal cat si verb obisnuit Ex:How
dare you contradict me? (modal) I dared her/I challenged him to run in the street(a
provoca)

recomandari/sfaturi
need If you want to go hiking in the Rocky Mountains, you need to get a good
raincoat.
should To learn English really well, you should travel in America or Ireland.
ought You ought to call Catherine if you are thinking of not going.

sugestii
shall Shall I come back later?
might If you can't find the phone number in the yellow pages you might try
directory assistance.
could You could try a different shampoo if your hair is too dry.
can They can ask Uncle Peter for help if they don't understand.
let Let nature take her course.