مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.
English — Grammar: Modals — Expressing Ability, Permission, Obligation and Advice — 2nd Year Secondary
Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, should, ought to, etc.) are auxiliary verbs that express different meanings such as ability, permission, obligation, possibility and advice.
I. Ability
Can (present): “I can speak French.”
Could (past): “I could swim when I was five.”
Be able to (all tenses): “I will be able to help you tomorrow.”
II. Permission
Can (informal): “Can I borrow your pen?”
May (formal): “May I come in?”
Could (polite): “Could I use your phone?”
Be allowed to: “Students are allowed to use the library.”
III. Obligation
Must (strong obligation – personal): “I must study for the exam.”
Have to (external obligation): “We have to wear a uniform at school.”
Mustn’t (prohibition): “You mustn’t smoke here.”
Don’t have to (no obligation/choice): “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
IV. Advice
Should / Ought to: “You should see a doctor.” / “You ought to apologize.”
Had better (strong advice): “You had better leave now.” (implies negative consequences)
V. Possibility and Probability
| Modal | Probability | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Must | 95% sure (certain) | He must be at home (lights are on) |
| May/Might/Could | 50% (possible) | It might rain tomorrow |
| Can’t | 99% sure (impossible) | He can’t be at school (he’s sick) |
VI. Exercises
1. Fill in can/could/must/mustn’t: “You ___ park here – it’s forbidden.”
2. Choose: “You should / mustn’t eat too much sugar – it’s bad for you.”
3. Rewrite: “It’s not necessary to finish today.” (Use don’t have to)
For more grammar lessons, see Future Continuous and Future Perfect and Reported Speech.