Modal Verbs & 'ilfaut'

When do we use them?

__When to use them __

A modal verb is a verb that qualifies an action with regard to its desirability, its necessity, its possibility or its futurity.

French has fewer modal verbs than English.

While English has will, shall, may, might, must, ought to, have to, can and be able to,

French just has three modal verbs: vouloir: to want to pouvoir: to be able to and devoir: to have to.

What are modal verbs used to express?

Your answer should include: to qualify an action with regard to its desirability / its necessity / its possibility or its futurity

Formation

Vouloir is a verb which expresses wish, desire or intention.

Here are its main usages:

► In the present tense it implies a definite wish (Examples 1 & 2)

► In the present perfect it can imply an unfulfilled/ wrongly fulfilled wish,(Examples 3 & 4) or a fulfilled wish (Example 5)

► In the conditional it implies a hope or a potential wish. (Examples 6 - 8)

__Present tense: __

Singular:___ Je veux, tu veux, il/elle... veut___

Plural:  ___Nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent___

Examples:

1. Je veux partir maintenant.

	I want to leave now

2. Le capitaine veut savoir s’il y a un médecin à bord

	The captain wants to know if there's a doctor on board._ _

3. J’ai voulu ouvrir la boîte, mais je l’ai cassée.

	I wanted to open the box, but I broke it .

4. Il semble qu’il a voulu sortir par la cheminée.

	It looks as if he wanted to (was trying to) get out through the chimney.

5. J’ai voulu te faire une surprise !!.

	I wanted it to be a surprise for you !!.

6. Nous voudrions partir avant minuit.

	We'd like to leave before midnight.

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Pouvoir expresses ability, corresponding to the English can or be able to.

Here are its most common usages:

► In the present tense it implies a definite or potential ability (Examples 1 & 2)

► In the present perfect it normally implies a successfully accomplished action, and has the sense of the English “managed to” (Examples 3 & 4)

► In the imperfect it usually implies past ability (Examples 5 & 6)

!! Take care with the distinction in usage between the perfect and imperfect tenses of pouvoir

► In the conditional it implies potential future possibility. (Examples 7 & 8)

► In the future perfect, it expresses past action that may have occurred or has probably occurred (Examples 9 & 10)

► In the past conditional, it expresses unfulfilled hypothetical possibility (Examples 11 & 12)

Reflexive use of ___pouvoir ___:

► The English modal verb may is often expressed using the French expression

___ Il se peut que .....___ followed by a <a href="https://about-france.com/french/subjunctive.htm" target="_blank">__subjunctive__</a>.  (Examples 13 &amp; 14)

__Present tense: __

Singular:___ Je peux or je puis, tu peux, il/elle... peut___

Plural:  ___Nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent___

Examples:

1. Tu ne peux pas fumer ici.

	You can't smoke here

_ Nous pouvons aller au concert ce soir._

	We can go to the concert this evening._ _

3. J’ai pu __(=success) __ouvrir la boîte, mais je l’ai cassée.

	I was able to open the box , but I broke it .

4. Il semble qu’il a pu sortir par la cheminée.

	It looks as if he was able to get out through the chimney.

5. Dans ma jeunesse je pouvais __ (= ability)_ porter 50 kg. !!.___

	In my youth I could carry 50 kilograms !!___. ___

6. Les policiers ne pouvaient pas faire comme ils voulaient

	The policement were not able to do as they pleased. _ _

7. __Il pourrait parler anglais s’il faisait un effort.

   He could speak English if he tried.

1. Nous pourrions aller au concert ce soir

    We could to go to the concert this evening.
   

2. Il aura pu se mettre à l’abri quelque part.

   He may have found shelter somewhere.
   

3. Il aura pu se mettre à l’abri quelque part. (second meaning)

   He will have been able to find shelter somewhere.
   

4. Il aurait pu être bloqué par la grève à l’aeroport.

   H could have been blocked by the strike at the airport.

5. Vous auriez pu vous tuer !!

   You could have killed yourselves !!
   

13. __Il se peut qu’ils soient bloqués par la grève à l’aeroport.__

   They may be blocked by the strike at the airport.

1. Il se peut qu’on aille au concert ce soir.

   We may go  to the concert this evening.
   

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Devoir expresses obligation, corresponding to the English _must, have to, should _or _ought to. _The specific meaning is specified by a combination of tense and context.

► In the present tense, __devoir ___corresponds to the English _must / have to in most of their meanings; both formal obligation (e.g. You must stop that) and probablilty (It must be ten midnight by now). See examples 1 & 2 below

The most confusing points about uses of devoir concern past tenses.

► The perfect or composite past of devoir ( e.g._ il a dû) has two quite different meanings, corresponding either to _had to or to must have. See examples 3 & 4 below. Logic and context will usually remove any possible ambiguity; for instance, it is very unlikely that Hier j’ai dû acheter un parapluie would mean _Yesterday I must have bought an umbrella _- unless the speaker is amnesic.

► The imperfect tense of devoir (e.g._ il devait) has three possible meanings; it can be used in the sense of _had to, or less commonly in the sense of must have. Occasionally it used as a shorter alternative to the past conditional in the sense of ought to have See examples 5 & 6 below

► Used in conditional tenses, devoir implies recommendation or partial obligation, and has the meaning of ___should / ought to. ___See examples 7 & 8 below.

►Spelling point: the past participle masculine (the normal form) of devoir is spelt dû, with a circumflex accent. The feminine form (when needed) is spelt with no circumflex, e.g. due.

__Present tense: __

Singular:___ Je dois, tu dois, il/elle... doit___

Plural:  ___Nous devons, vous devez, ils doivent___



Examples:

1. Vous devez arrêter le moteur maintenant.

	You must stop the engine now.

2. Il fait nuit noire! Il doit être au moins minuit.

	It's pitch dark; it must be at least midnight by now.

3. Il n’y a aucun bruit, il a dû arrêter le moteur maintenant .

 or: ....  ___ il doit avoir arrêté le moteur maintenant ___

	There's no noise; he must have stopped the engine now___.___

4. Il y avait une fuite d’huile, donc il a dû arrêter le moteur.

	There was an oil leak, so he had to stop the engine.

5. Nous devions être à Paris pour une réunion samedi dernier.

	We had to be in Paris for a meeting last Saturday.  or

	We must have been in Paris for a meeting last Saturday,

6. Nous devions être à Paris pour une réunion , mais nous n’y étions pas.

 or: ....  ___ Nous aurions dû être à Paris ...... ___

	We should have been in Paris for a meeting _, but we weren't_

What are the three modal verbs?

Your answer should include: pouvoir / vouloir / devoir

How would I write I can, I must, I want?

Your answer should include: je peux / je dois / je veux