Modal verb
A
modal verb (also
modal,
modal auxiliary verb,
modal auxiliary) is a type of
auxiliary verb that is used to indicate
modality. The use of auxiliary verbs to express modality is characteristic of
Germanic languages.
This table lists some modal verbs in
English,
German and
Dutch.
English modal auxiliary verb provides an exhaustive list.
| English | German | Dutch |
| can | können | kunnen |
| shall | sollen | zullen |
| will | wollen | willen |
| must | müssen | moeten |
| may | mögen | mogen |
| dare | dürfen | |
| need | | |
Etymologically, words in the same row share common roots but through time have come to mean different things. They may no longer be proper translations of each other as, for instance, the German verb "dürfen" is closer today to "may" in English than to "dare".
The English
could is the past tense of
can,
should is the past tense of
shall and
might is the past tense of
may. These verbs have acquired an independent, present tense meaning. The German form
möchten is sometimes taught as a vocabulary word and included in the list of modal verbs, but it is actually the past subjunctive form of
mögen.
The English verbs
dare and
need have both a modal use (
he dare not do it), and a non-modal use (
he doesn't dare to do it). The Dutch verb
durven is not included in the list because its modal use has disappeared, but it has a non-modal use analogous with the English
dare.
Modal verbs (also known as
helping verbs or
auxiliary verbs) give additional information about the mood of the main verb that follows it. In other words, they help to incorporate or add the level of necessity: (
must/
need to/
have to = obligation, requirement, no choice); (
should/
ought to = suggested obligation); (
can/
could = it is possible); and (
may/
might = option, choice).
Modal verbs are
preterite-present verbs, which means that their present tense has the form of a vocalic preterite. This is the source of the vowel alternation between singular and plural in German and Dutch. Because of their preterite origins, modal verbs also lack the suffix (-s in modern English, -t in German and Dutch) that would normally mark the third person singular form:
| normal verb | modal verb |
| English | he works | he can |
| German | er arbeitet | er kann |
| Dutch | hij werkt | hij kan |
The main verb that is modified by the modal verb is in the infinitive form and is
not preceded by the word
to (German:
zu, Dutch:
te). There are verbs that may seem somewhat similar in meaning to modal verbs (e.g.
like,
want), but the construction with such verbs would be different:
| normal verb | modal verb |
| English | he tries to work | he can work |
| German | er versucht zu arbeiten | er kann arbeiten |
| Dutch | hij probeert te werken | hij kan werken |
In English, main verbs require the auxiliary verb
do to form negations or questions. Modal verbs never use this auxiliary
do:
| normal verb | modal verb |
| affirmative | he tries to work | he can work |
| negation | he doesn't try to work | he can't work |
| question | does he try to work? | can he work? |
| negation + question | doesn't he try to work? | can't he work? |
Modal verbs are called
defective verbs because of their incomplete conjugation: they can not function as main verbs.
*
Modal Verbs (portuguese)*
Grammatical mood*
Linguistic modality*
Preterite-present_verb*
Defective verb
