Modal Auxiliaries (can, could, may, might) | English Grammar Guide for French Students

• 1 Do not change form for different subjects (I can, you can, he can)
• 2 Do not use "to" before the main verb (can go, not "can to go")
• 3 Form questions by inversion (Can you? not "Do you can?")
• 4 Form negatives by adding "not" (cannot, may not)

1 Physical ability: "I can swim" (ability to perform an action)
2 Mental ability: "She can solve complex problems" (mental capacity)
3 Permission: "You can leave early" (allowance/permission)
4 Requests: "Can you help me?" (polite request)

• 1 "I can speak French" (ability)
• 2 "Students can use dictionaries" (permission)
• 3 "Can I borrow your pen?" (request)
• 4 "He can run very fast" (physical ability)

1 Past ability: "I could run fast when I was young"
2 Polite requests: "Could you please help me?"
3 Conditional possibility: "If I studied harder, I could pass"
4 More polite version of "can" for requests

• 1 "When I was younger, I could climb trees" (past ability)
• 2 "Could you open the door?" (polite request)
• 3 "She could become a doctor if she studies hard" (conditional)
• 4 "We could go to the park later" (possibility)

1 Formal permission: "You may enter the room" (formal allowance)
2 Theoretical possibility: "It may rain tomorrow" (possibility)
3 Wishes: "May you have success" (expressing wishes)
4 More formal than "can" for permission

• 1 "May I ask a question?" (formal request for permission)
• 2 "Students may use the library after school" (formal permission)
• 3 "The weather may improve tomorrow" (possibility)
• 4 "May you find happiness" (wishing)

1 Less likely possibility: "It might snow" (less likely than "may")
2 Hypothetical situations: "If I had time, I might visit" (hypothetical)
3 Polite suggestions: "You might try this approach" (gentle suggestion)
4 More tentative than "may" for possibilities

• 1 "He might be late" (less certain possibility)
• 2 "You might want to consider this option" (polite suggestion)
• 3 "If I were rich, I might travel the world" (hypothetical)
• 4 "She might have missed the train" (speculation about past)

Modal	Primary Use	Formality	Example
Can	Ability, informal permission	Informal	"I can drive"
Could	Past ability, polite requests	Polite	"Could you help?"
May	Formal permission, possibility	Formal	"You may leave"
Might	Less likely possibility	Very polite	"It might happen"

1 Could have: Past ability that wasn't realized: "I could have passed the exam"
2 May have: Possible past action: "He may have forgotten"
3 Might have: Less likely past possibility: "She might have arrived"
4 These forms express speculation about past events

• 1 Using "can" in formal situations when "may" is more appropriate
• 2 Confusing "could" with past tense of "can" (it's conditional too)
• 3 Using "might" unnecessarily in casual conversation
• 4 Forgetting that modals don't take "to" before main verbs

1. I _______ speak three languages fluently. (ability)

2. _______ I use your computer? (request for permission)

3. When I was younger, I _______ run a mile in under 5 minutes. (past ability)

4. It _______ rain later today. (possibility)

5. You _______ want to reconsider your decision. (polite suggestion)

6. Students _______ enter the laboratory without supervision. (formal permission)

7. _______ you please close the door? (polite request)

8. If I had more time, I _______ learn to play guitar. (conditional possibility)

9. She _______ have missed the train due to traffic. (past possibility)

10. The weather _______ improve tomorrow. (future possibility)

1 English: Uses modals (can, could, may, might) as auxiliaries
2 French: Uses conjugated verbs (pouvoir, pouvoir, etc.)
3 English: No subject agreement needed for modals
4 French: Requires subject-verb agreement for conjugated forms

1 Can: Think "capability" (ability)
2 Could: Past tense of "can" + polite form
3 May: More formal than "can" for permission
4 Might: Less likely than "may" (think "might not happen")

• 1 "Can" expresses present ability and informal permission
• 2 "Could" expresses past ability and polite requests
• 3 "May" expresses formal permission and possibility
• 4 "Might" expresses less likely possibility