Italiano
In English we use should / shouldn't /ought to / oughtn't to give advice. We use should / ought to to say something is a good thing to do and shouldn't / oughtn't to say something is a bad thing to do.
Example sentences :
Note : To ask for advice we can say: What should I do?
In English, "can" is a modal verb and only has a present, past and conditional form. It can also be used with a future meaning.
Example sentences :
Note : Can is not used to talk about specific possibilities.
Example sentences :
In English, could is used to talk about past ability/ permission/ possibility.
Example sentences :
"Be able to" can be used in the present, past, future, present perfect and as a gerund or infinitive.
Example sentences :
Note : be able to in the present and past is more formal than can or could.
In English we use might or may to say something in the future is possible, but not decided.
Example sentences :
To make questions with might we usually use Do you think...?
Example questions :
In English we can also use might in short answers.
Example short answers :
In English we use have to + infinitive to say something is necessary or obligatory. We normally use have to for a general obligation from an outside source, such as work or the law.
Examples sentences :
In English we use don't have to + infinitive to say something is not necessary or obligatory. It means you can if you want to, but it's not necessary.
Example sentences :
To make questions we use do/does.
Example questions :
Form : ( Must + infinitive without to )
In English we use must + infinitive to talk about rules and obligations. We normally use must when the speaker imposes the obligation, such as a teacher to students, or even to yourself.
Form : ( Mustn't + infinitive without to )
In English we use mustn't + infinitive to say something is prohibited.
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Note : You can often use can't or be + not allowed to instead of mustn't.
Example sentences :
Note : Mustn't and don't have to have completely different meanings.
Mustn't Vs Don't Have To
Note : Have to is a normal verb and exists in all tenses whereas must is a modal verb and its only forms are must and mustn't.
You can also use have to and must for strong recommendations.
Example sentences :
In English we use must when we are sure something is true.
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In English we use may or might when we think something is possibly true.
Examples sentences :
In English we use can't when we are sure something is impossible.
Examples sentences :
Note : In this context, the opposite of must is can't, NOT mustn't!
In the past, can't, could, may, might and must for probability change to can't have, could have, may have, might have and must have + past participle (Verb 3).
In the past, should and ought to change to should have and ought to have + past participle (Verb 3).
Note : the form of "must" for obligation and "can" are exceptions.
Must for obligation changes to had to + infinitive
Can changes to could or was able to
| Modal example sentences | |
|---|---|
| You must work very hard. | Devi lavorare molto. |
| What do you mean by they can't get married legally? | Cosa vuoi dire con non si possono sposare legalmente? |
| I use gumtree.com, are there any others you can recommend? | Uso gumtree.com, ce ne sono altri che puoi consigliare? |
| It's already scary dear, you don't have to make it scarier! | È già spaventoso caro, non renderlo ancora più spaventoso! |
| I thought I could look for more houses before my second appointment. | Pensavo di poter cercare altre case prima del secondo appuntamento. |
| Joseph, I'm taking the room, we can sign the contract! | Joseph, prendo la stanza, possiamo firmare il contratto! |
| Umm, we can raise it just a little bit, like 50%. | Umm, possiamo alzarlo solo di un pochino, tipo il 50%. |
| I said it was a mistake, I was terribly sorry, what else could I say? | Ho detto che era uno sbaglio, che ero terribilmente dispiaciuta, cos’altro potevo dire? |
| I can hear well, you don't have to shout at me, dear. | Io ci sento bene, non deve urlarmi contro, caro. |
| She could leave the front door open and let them out! | Potrebbe lasciare la porta aperta e farli uscire! |
| Can't you have the meeting another time? | Non potete fare la riunione un’altra volta? |
| We can see how Bear and Pogo get on together. | Possiamo vedere se Bear e Pogo vanno d’accordo. |
| Umm... I'm sorry, but I can't find a booking in that name. | Umm… Mi dispiace, ma non trovo una prenotazione a quel nome. |
| How can I turn it on? | Come faccio ad accenderlo? |
| Also, it's Friday, we may not be able to get a table. | Inoltre, è venerdì, potremmo non trovare un tavolo. |
| Why do you have to finish everything today? | Perché devi finire tutto quanto oggi? |
| Can you please stop being stupid, dear? | Puoi per favore smettere di fare lo stupido, caro? |
| I guess I can leave around four-ish. | Credo di potermene andare verso le quattro. |
| We can do it whenever you like. | Possiamo farlo quando vuoi. |
| We can continue talking about that on the train. | Possiamo continuare a parlarne sul treno. |
