Met modal verbs verander je de betekenis van het hoofdwerkwoord. Je kunt hiermee bijvoorbeeld zekerheid, toestemming of een mening uitdrukken. In de tabel staan tien hulpwerkwoorden met voorbeelden waarin je ziet hoe je ze gebruikt.
can / can’t
could / couldn’t vaardigheid
toestemming
(on)mogelijkheid Mr T can speak seven languages.
He could speak French when he was five. (verleden tijd)
Can I come and sit next to you?
It’s so hot, could I open the window? (beleefde vorm)
We can’t make it to school in time because we missed the train.
We could still get to the airport in time. (redelijk zeker)
may / may not
might / might not toestemming
(on)mogelijkheid May she use your calculator?
If we hurry up, we may still be in time. (redelijk zeker)
We might have seen Roger in Sydney last year. (verleden tijd) (minder zeker)
ought to / ought not to mening / advies You ought to be polite to older people.
should / shouldn’t mening / advies He should think before he speaks.
We should have been more gentle when we told him the news yesterday. (verleden tijd)
He shouldn’t speak with his mouth full.
must / mustn’t have to / don’t have to verplichting You must take off your hat when the national anthem is being played.
You mustn’t run a red light.
Do we have to learn this by heart?
You don’t have to tell them your secrets. (niet verplicht)
will / won’t shall / shall not belofte
aanbod
verzoek We will definitely be on time tomorrow.
Don’t worry, we shall fix it for you.
Will you marry me?
Would he have done that, if he were here? (verleden tijd)