CARACTERÍSTICAS DOS MODAIS
A forma ininitiva não apresenta to antes do verbo, é sempre seguido de infinitivo sem to.
Exemplos:
Mariane can speak Portuguese.
We should take a laptop with us.
Não são acrescidos de s na 3a pessoa do singular.
Exemplos:
I’m sure Paul can do this for you.
He must be there at 7 a.m.
Funcionam como auxiliares comuns, tanto na forma afirmativa, negativa e interrogativa.
Na forma interrogativa, eles se colocam na frente do sujeito e na negativa basta acrescentar o “not” depois do verbo.
Afirmativa: They should wake up earlier.
Negativa: They should not (shouldn’t) wake up earlier.
Interrogativa: Should they wake up earlier?
Interrogativa-negativa: Shouldn’t they wake up earlier? (= Should they not wake up earlier?)
• CAN general ability – habilidade / capacidade
I can speak Chinese.
I could speak Chinese when I was a kid.
I will be able to speak Chinese by the time I nish my course.
• CAN permission – permissão
I can drive my mother’s car when she is out of town.
I was allowed to drive my mother’s car while she was out of town
last week. (be allowed to denota permissão. O verbo to be pode estar conjugado nas diferentes formas verbais)
I can drive my mother’s car while she is out of town next week.
Can I take your car? Yes you can / no you can’t.
• CAN request – pedido
Can I have a glass of water?
Can you give me a lift to school?
(Requests usually refer to the near future.)
• CAN possibility /impossibility – possibilidade/impossibilidade
Anyone can become rich and famous if they win the lottery.
It can’t cost more than two hundred dollars.
You can’t be 62! I thought you were about 40 years old.
(This use is usually a generalization or an supposition.)
• COULD possibility – possibilidade
Paul could be the one who entered to AFA.
Paul could have been the one who entered to AFA.
Paul could be charged with the crime when the Polícia Federal finish the investigation.
• COULD suggestion – sugestão/ conselho
You could study more.
You could have spent your vacation in Hawaii.
You could spend your vacation in Hawaii.
• COULD past ability – habilidade no passado
I could run ten miles in my twenties.
I could speak Japanese when I was a kid.
I couldn’t run more than a mile in my twenties.
• COULD polite request – pedido educado
Could I have something to drink?
Could borrow your stapler?
• MAY possibility – possibilidade
Paul may be upset. I can’t really tell if he is annoyed or tired.
Paul may have been upset. I couldn’t really tell if he was annoyed or tired.
• MAY permission – permissão
You may leave the classroom now that you’re nished with your exercises.
You were allowed to leave the classroom after you nished your exercises.
You may leave the classroom when you nish your exercises.
• MIGHT possibility – possibilidade
She might be on the subway. I think her car is having problems.
She might have taken the subway. I’m not sure how she got home.
• MUST certainty – certeza
That must be Patrick. They said he was tall with bright red hair.
That must have been the right school. There were no other schools on this street.
That must not be Patrick. He is supposed to have black hair.
• MUST (not) prohibition – proibição
You must not walk on that street. It’s dangerous.
• MUST strong recommendation – forte recomendação
She must take some time off and get some rest.
She mustn’t drink so much. It’s not good for her.
• MUST necessity – necessidade
You must have a permit to enter the U.S.A.
We had to have a permit to enter the U.S.A. (have to denota necessidade. Pode ser conjugado nas diferentes formas verbais)
We must get a permit to enter the park next week.
We don’t have to get a permit to enter the Quinta da Boa Vista.
(don’t have to denota falta de obrigação, não necessidade)
• SHOULD recommendation / advisability – recomendação / conselho
People with high cholesterol should eat low fat foods.
John should have eaten low fat foods. That might have prevented his heart attack.
You really should start eating better.
• SHOULD assumption / expectation / probability – suposição / expectativa / probabilidade
Peter should be in Salvador by now.
Mary should have arrived in Porto Alegre last week. Let’s call her and see what she is up to.
• OUGHT TO recommendation / advisability – recomendação / conselho
Frank ought to exercise more.
Frank ought to have exercised more so she would be better prepared for the marathon.
• OUGHT TO assumption / expectation / probability – suposição / expectativa / probabilidade
They ought to have the package by now.
They ought to have received the package yesterday.
• HAD BETTER recommendation – recomendação / conselho.
Desperate hope
You had better unplug the oven before you try to clean it.
You had better not clean the house before 8 o’clock.
• SHALL future action – ação futura
The manager shall be replaced by someone from the São Paulo office.
Paul shall be there by 9:00.
