CAN / PODER

• Sirve para expresar habilidad: I Can cook very Well
• Sirve para expresar posibilidad o imposibilidad: I Can't Dance today
• Sirve para expresar o pedir permiso: Can I leave the office early today?
• En negativo sirve para expresar una deduccion: She Can't be at school, it is holiday
• En negativo tambien sirve para expresar prohibicion: You Cannot smoke here

LICENSE TO KILL (MODAL VERBS)

I HAVE JUST WRITTEN THAT PARAGRAPH BECAUSE WE CAN FIND A LOT OF MODAL VERBS INSIDE IT.

<<SHOULD HE CONTACT LONDON? PERHAPS HE SHOULD TELL HIS BOSS THAT EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED AND THAT HE NEEDED SOME HELP FROM LONDON. THERE WERE SOME DANGEROUS PEOPLE DOING SOME BAD THINGS ON JAMAICA. BOND COULD ASK M TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY AND TO SEND MORE AGENTS. HE COULD TELL M THAT DOCTOR NO HAS TRIED TO KILL HIM WITH POISONED FRUIT. BUT WAS THAT A GOOD IDEA? HE DIDN'T KNOW YET IF THE FRUIT WAS POISONED. AND HE WASN'T SURE THAT DOCTOR NO HAD SENT IT. M MIGHT THINK, "WHAT A NONSENSE ABOUT POISONED PEACHES? 007 HAS COMPLETELY LOST HIS NERVE AND NOW HE'S BECOME CRAZY. HE MUST COME HOME." AFTER A FEW MINUTES, BOND DECIDED NOT TO CONTACT LONDON. BUT HE WAS TAKING A RISK. IF SOMETHING DID GO WRONG NOW, AND HE HADN'T SENT A WARNING TO M, BOND WOULD BE IN TROUBLE. HE MIGHT LOSE HIS JOB. OR HE MIGHT DIE.>>

Modals Verbs

Los modal verbs pueden expresar obligación, necesidad, prohibición. ausencia de ncesidad, probabilidad, posibilidad, habilidad...

Caracteristicas:

• No llevan -s en la tercera persona del singular del presente simple
• No necesitan -do o -does para formar la negativa ni la interrogativa.
• Nunca llevan infinitivo con to detrás, excepto be able to, need to, have to y ought to..
• No tienen infinitivo, participio ni tiempos compuestos.

NOTA: Los verbos have to y need to también se consideran “verbos semimodales” porque no cumplen todas las características propias de los verbos modales.

Modals Verbs