MODALES

MAY
Para todas las personas en presente y futuro. MIGHT en pasado y condicional. Con
infinitivo sin TO y expresa permiso o posibilidad.

**PERMISO (Equivale a TO ALLOW / TO BE ALLOWED)

*Afirm. y Negat.:-Presente o futuro: En primera persona expresa el poseer
permiso -se utiliza m s CAN o ALLOW: I may leave the office now. En segundas y
terceras el hablante concede o rehusa tal permiso:
You may park here [te autorizo]vs You can (are allowed to) park here, y es m s
formal que las otras formas: Candidates may not bring books
-En pasado usamos ALLOW en activa y pasiva: Last term they didn't allow
candidates to bring books.
*Interrogativas.: MAY es formal y CAN informal, sin embargo, requiriendo permiso
la diferencia es menos marcada: Can/Could/May I use your phone?
Las preguntas relativas a permiso con CAN o ALLOW: Can he take the car whenever
he likes? (En pasado COULD y ALLOWED)

**POSIBILIDAD -Con

inf. de pres. MAY/MIGHT peden expresar posibilidad en

presente y futuro: Ann may/might know Tom's address [Quiz s la sepa].
-Son indistintos aunque MIGHT expresa mayor duda: Tom may/might lend you the
money; y es necesario utilizarlo cuando el verbo que determina est en pasado: I
knew he might have to wait at the frontier.
-La negat. no ofrece problemas, pero la interrog.suele expresarse con Do you
think? o una construccin con Likely: Do you think the plane will be late?
*Deberemos utilizar MIGHT en estos casos:-Con Inf. Perf. para especulaciones
sobre hechos pasados: He may/might have gone [Tal vez, quiz s haya ido].-Cuando
el verbo determinante est en pasado: might. He said that she might have missed
the train. Cuando la accin no tenga vigencia: He might have got lost.[Pero no
se perdi...] Y cuando algo no se lleg a poner en prctica: Perhaphs we should
have taken the other road. It might have been quicker.
-May /Might en frases condicionales en lugar de Will/Would indicando posibilidad
o certeza: If he sees you he will stop [seguro] <=>.If he sees you he may stop
[posible].

** OTROS USOS DE MAY/MIGHT

(En afirmativas:)
-Con AS WELL+Inf: Forma enf tica de intencin:You may/might as well come with
me.
-You might como requerimiento informal -como un imperativo+Will you?.
You might post these for me.
-Might puede tambin expresar un requerimiento persuasivo, incluso denotando la
irritacin del hablante por no haber sido hecha esa accin.: You might tell me
what he said. // He might pay us.
-May+Inf. en expresiones de fe o esperanza: May heaven reward you!

CAN
**PERMISO
CAN para presente y futuro. COULD para pasado y condicional. No hay participios
ni resto de tiempos, se utilizar Allow o Permit.
USO: Para permiso como alternativa informal a MAY, pero puede expresar m s
cosas: You can take two books home with you [Te doy permiso...]
-Afirmativa y Negat.a) En presente y futuro CAN o COULD. Este remite a alguna
condicin: You could phone from my house [Si quieres...]. En pasado COULD y
WAS/WERE ALLOWED TO: cuando el verbo est en pasado utilizamos COULD, y no
CAN:Tom said I could park outside his house.

Para permiso en general CAN, y una autorizacin particular la expresaremos con

ALLOW: I had the right visa so I was allowed to cross the frontier.
-Interrogativas solicitando permiso. CAN y COULD en presente y futuro: Can/Could
I park here? (Respuestas: Yes, you can/No, you can't.)

**POSIBILIDAD
-Expresa posibilidad en sentido general: You can ski on the hills [hay nieve].
No se puede utilizar con este sentido en futuro, recurriremos a Will Be
Possible/Able:When the new tunnel is ready we'll be able to get to the town much
more easily.
-Puede expresar posibilidad ocasional -en presente y pasado, slo afirmativas-:
Measles can be quite dangerous.

**HABILIDAD
Se completa la carencia de tiempos con TO BE+ el adjetivo ABLE. (En presente dos
opciones; en futuro una: CAN slo se utiliza para permiso). Our baby will be
able to walk in a few weeks. (Fut.)
CAN es ms usual que B.A.T en presente: I can't pay you today. Can you wait till
tomorrow?
En present perfect es m s comn B.A.T. Since his accident he hasn't been able to
leave his house.
-COULD con presente expresa cierta idea de condicin: Could you run your
business by yourself? (Si fuera necesario...).
-COULD sirve para requerimientos -como WOULD- pero es m s corts: Could you wait
half an hour?
-COULD y B.A.T. para habilidad en pasado: When I was young I could/was able to
climb any tree in the forest. Pero habilidad+accin con T.A.B. excepto
negativas: At last he was able to explain what had happened.
I could/was able
to see him through the window.
-COULD + Inf. Perf. se usa cuando la accin no fue desarrollada o se ignora este
punto: He could have sent a message <=> He was able to..
-COULD puede ser una alternativa a MAY/MIGHT BE: A) I wonder where is TOM.
B)
He may/might/could be in the library.
-CAN'T/COULDN'T para deduccin negativa. Ann: He says he is still reading 'The
Old Man and the Sea?. Tom: He can't/couldn't be still reading it. I gave it to
him ages ago and it's quite a short book.

OBLIGACION
ObligacinAusencia de ObligacinOblig. Negativa
Futuro must
need not
must not
will have to
won't have to
won't need to
Pres. must
need not
must not
have to
don't have to
don't need to
Past
had to
didn't have to
didn't need to
hadn't (got) to
*MUST/MUST NOT/NEED NOT expresan la autoridad del hablante. :You mustn't
turn on the TV till you have done your homework
Las otras formas -HAVE/NEED- expresan obligacin externa.

*MUST NOT/NEED NOT.

MUST expresa obligacin negativa o consejo del

hablante: You must not tell anyone. NEED NOT = ausencia de obligacin o permiso
que da el hablante para no hacer algo: You needn't make two copies. One will do.
*MUST/HAVE TO. MUST expresa obligacin o consejo enf tico:Exam Regulations:
Candidates must be in their places by 9 a.m.

HAVE TO (Sin GOT para acciones habituales/con GOT para acciones individuales)
MUST expresa oblig. impuesta por el hablante. HAVE de forma externa -la
autoridad o las circunstancias. You must clean your boots (mis rdenes) You will
have to clean your shoes when you join the army. Si el hablante aprueba las
rdenes puede refrendarlas con MUST: Children must obey their parents. Se
debera usar HAVE to para h bitos y MUST con obligaciones urgentes o
importantes: I have to be at my office at nine every day/I must be at the
station at ten. It's most important.
En interrogativa es m s seguro recurrir a HAVE TO: Does she have to do it by
hand?

NEED.
Se puede considerar verbo auxiliar -principalmente en neg. e interrog.; sin
pasado- o como verbo normal.
NEED NOT expresa ausencia de obligacin, MUST NOT obligacin negat.; aunque NEED
I? puede ser similar a MUST I?
-NEED NOT expresa la autoridad del hablante (Pres. y fut): You needn't bring
your textbooks tomorrow.
-A veces puede expresar autoridad externa como alternativa a WON'T/DON'T HAVE
TO/DON'T NEED TO: I needn't type this record today. Mr Jones said there was no
hurry about this.
-En pasado desaparece el factor autoridad externa/hablante y podemos usar DIDN'T
HAVE TO/DIDN'T NEED TO/HAVEN'T GOT TO: I didn't have to wait long. He was only a
few minutes late.
-En interrogativa NEED I? puede usarse en vez de MUST I? excepto tras una
interrogativa WH-. Where must I put it? Y puede demandar una respuesta
negativa: Must I go, mother?
-NEEDN'T con Inf. Perf. habla de acciones innecesarias llevadas a cabo: You
needn't have brought your umbrella for we are going by car.
-TO NEED es un verbo ordinario -sin formas continuas- que expresa 'requerir'.
How much money do you need? I need 5.

MUST
En presente MUST para obligacin y deduccin.(Slo deduc. afirmat.)
En pasado, para deduccin+Inf. Perf; para obligacin HAD TO.
A) My brother develops his own films. B) He must save a lot of money.
-La deduccin negativa con CAN'T: Tom can't have written this because it is in
French and he doesn't know French.
-MUST/MAY-MIGHT This may/might be the key.[De dos llaves, posible]
[Tras fallar con la primera] This must be the key [Obviamente].

OUGHT TO
Sin infinitivo ni inflexin verbal. Como presente, pasado o futuro.
Expresa obligacin o deber del sujeto. Sin influencia del hablante (MUST) ni
externa (HAVE TO). El hablante puede recordar al sujeto su deber, aconsejarle,
etc. Es como SHOULD y, de hecho, ste se usa para responderle: You ought to
finish your work before going out -I know
I should. Compara: You have to obey Mr Pitt (l insiste)
You must obey Mr Pitt (el hablante insiste)
Tom, you ought to obey Mr Pitt (te es aconsejable)
En consejos es menos enf tico que MUST: You must go to Paris.
Con Inf. Perf. habla de deberes no cumplidos o acciones sensatas no hechas: You
oughtn't to have crossed the road when the lights were red.

DARE
Afirmativa DARE/DARES/DARED. Negat. e int. se conjuga como ordinario o como
auxiliar. did you dare...? / dared you...?

En la pr ctica el TO de negat. e int. se omite: Did he dare (to) criticize my

arrangements? Dare I...y Dare not no llevan TO: They dared not move.Con
Nobody/anybody.... el TO es opcional: Nobody dared (to) speak. En afirmativa
slo se utiliza la forma I daresay con el sentido de 'supongo' o 'acepto lo que
dices':(Turista ingls) But I drive on the left in England! (Poli suizo) I
daresay you do, but you must drive on the right here.
Expresando indignacin: How dare you open my letters?

USED TO
Pasado de un defectivo sin presente. No lleva auxiliar aunque en la pr ctica se
diga: didn't you use to...? You didn't use to....
Expresa h bito discontinuo o accin pasada en contraste con el presente: He used
to drink beer; now he drinks wine.
Expresando un hecho rutinario, sin contraste con el presente: Every morning Tom
would (used to) kiss Ann and set off for work. Ann would (used to) stand at the
window and wave goodbye....
**Como adjetivo equivale a 'acostumbrado' y va precedido de BE, BECOME o GET en
cualquier tiempo, m s la preposicin TO y un nombre/pronombre o GERUNDIO: I am
used to noise. I am used to working with computers.
They soon got used to
driving on the left.
**No se debe confundir este adj+prep. con USED (verbo) +TO del infinitivo. ni
con el verbo regular TO USE [jouz]: emplear.