Modal Verbs List

In English grammar, modal verbs play a crucial role in expressing ideas like ability, permission, obligation, possibility, advice, and more. They are versatile and can change the meaning of a sentence depending on the context. This blog post provides an extensive list of modal verbs and their specific uses, ensuring you have a comprehensive understanding of how to use them effectively in everyday communication.

What Are Modal Verbs in English?

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that modify the mood of the main verb in a sentence. They express various meanings, including ability, possibility, necessity, permission, and obligation. They do not change form based on the subject (e.g., “I can,” “she can”) and are followed by the base form of the main verb (without “to”).

Examples of Modal Verbs

• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Must
• Shall
• Should
• Will
• Would

Complete List of Modal Verbs in English

• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Must
• Shall
• Should
• Will
• Would
• Ought to
• Need
• Dare
• Shall
• Will
• Would
• Must
• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Need to
• Had better
• Have to
• Used to
• Be able to
• Be supposed to
• Be allowed to
• Have got to
• Be going to
• Be about to
• Be capable of
• Would rather
• Could have
• Might have
• Must have
• Shall not
• Will not
• Would not
• Should not
• Need not
• May not
• Might not
• Cannot
• Could not
• Shouldn’t
• Won’t
• Wouldn’t
• Mustn’t
• Ought not to
• Dare not
• Hadn’t better
• Had better not
• Would rather not
• Had better
• Ought to
• Have to
• Can’t
• Couldn’t
• Should
• Willing to
• Wouldn’t be able to
• Dare not
• Be expected to
• Be likely to
• Be unlikely to
• Wouldn’t mind
• Be prone to
• Wouldn’t be surprised

• Can’t be
• Couldn’t be
• May be
• Might be
• Should be
• Must be
• Might as well
• Could as well
• Shouldn’t be
• Couldn’t be
• Might not be
• Can’t possibly
• Could possibly
• May or may not
• Must be
• Shouldn’t have
• Would have
• Could have
• Might have
• Should have
• Ought to have
• Must have
• Will have
• Shall have

Modal Verbs List for Ability

Modal Verbs for Ability are used to express someone’s capacity or skill to do something, either in the present or past.

• Can
• Could
• Be able to
• Be capable of
• Could have
• Be good at
• Can do

Modal Verbs List for Permission

Modal Verbs for Permission are used to ask for or grant permission, or to indicate whether something is allowed or not.

• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Can’t
• Couldn’t
• May not
• Might not
• Shall
• Should

Modal Verbs List for Obligation

Modal Verbs for Obligation are used to express necessity, duty, or responsibility to do something. They indicate that something is required or expected.

• Must
• Have to
• Ought to
• Should
• Need to
• Have got to
• Be supposed to
• Must not

Modal Verbs List for Possibility and Probability

Here are the modal verbs expressing possibility or probability:

• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Must
• Should
• Would
• Shall
• Will

Modal Verbs List for Advice and Suggestions

Modal Verbs for Advice and Suggestions are used to give recommendations or offer guidance about what someone should or should not do.

• Should
• Ought to
• Had better
• Could
• Might
• Shall
• Would
• Can

List of Modal Verbs with Meanings

Modal Verb	Meaning
Can	Ability, permission, possibility
Could	Past ability, polite permission, possibility
May	Permission, possibility
Might	Small possibility, suggestion
Must	Necessity, strong recommendation, deduction
Shall	Future action, formal suggestion
Should	Advice, expectation, obligation
Will	Future intention, prediction
Would	Polite request, hypothetical situation
Ought to	Advice, moral obligation
Need	Necessity, requirement
Dare	Challenge, courage, permission
Used to	Past habits, past state
Be able to	Ability, possibility
Be supposed to	Expectation, obligation
Have to	Necessity, obligation
Be going to	Future intention
Have got to	Necessity, obligation
Had better	Advice, suggestion
Might as well	Suggestion, reasonable alternative
Could have	Past possibility or ability
Must have	Deduction, strong certainty
Shall not	Prohibition, formal negative future
Would rather	Preference
Can’t	Impossibility, prohibition
Shouldn’t	Prohibition, advice
Won’t	Future refusal
Wouldn’t	Hypothetical refusal, past refusal
Mustn’t	Prohibition, strong obligation
Ought not to	Prohibition, advice
Dare not	Lack of courage or permission
Hadn’t better	Strong advice with negative connotation
Have to	Obligation
Be allowed to	Permission
Wouldn’t be able to	Inability, future refusal
Can’t possibly	Strong impossibility
Could possibly	Small possibility
Must be	Strong assumption, certainty
Should be	Expectation, deduction
Might as well	Suggestion, reasonable action
Could as well	Suggestion, alternative
Must have	Deduction, certainty
Should have	Past advice, expectation
Would have	Hypothetical past
Might have	Possibility in the past
Couldn’t	Inability (past or present)
Should not	Prohibition, advice
Will have	Future certainty
Might not	Possibility not
Can’t possibly	Impossibility in any way

Modal Verbs List with Example Sentences

Modal Verb	Example Sentence
Can	I can swim very well.
Could	She could solve the problem easily.
May	You may leave early today.
Might	We might go to the park later.
Must	You must complete your homework by tomorrow.
Shall	Shall we go for a walk?
Should	You should study harder for the exam.
Will	He will help you with your project.
Would	I would like a cup of tea, please.
Ought to	You ought to apologize for being late.
Need	You need to finish your work before the meeting.
Dare	I don’t think he dare speak to her that way.
Used to	She used to live in Egypt.
Be able to	I am able to finish this on my own.
Have to	We have to arrive by 9 AM.
Be supposed to	She is supposed to help him with his homework.
Be going to	They are going to travel next summer.
Have got to	I have got to meet him today.
Had better	You had better bring an umbrella.
Might as well	You might as well take the bus.
Could have	They could have told me earlier.
Must have	She must have forgotten about the meeting.
Shall not	We shall not tolerate such behavior.
Would rather	I would rather stay home tonight.
Can’t	I can’t find my keys.
Shouldn’t	You shouldn’t eat too much sugar.
Won’t	I won’t be able to attend the meeting.
Wouldn’t	He wouldn’t listen to anyone.
Mustn’t	You mustn’t cheat in the exam.

FAQs

Conclusion

Modal verbs are essential in English as they help express various nuances in meaning such as ability, permission, possibility, and obligation. This list of modal verbs and their specific uses can significantly improve your understanding of how to express yourself clearly and accurately. Practice using them in different contexts to sound more natural and confident in your English conversations.

Read More

• Action Verbs List
• Common Nouns List
• List of Concrete Nouns
• 200 Irregular Verbs List