Modals & semi-modals

Question 1

we imagine something that didn’t happen in the past

è un peccato che tu non abbia visto il film. Ti sarebbe piaciuto

Answer 1

would have done st = when we imagine something that didn’t happen

It’s a shame you didn’t see the film. You would have liked it

Question 2

s/st refused to do st in the past

l’auto non partiva

Answer 2

s/st wouldn’t do st (past) = he/she refused to do st

The car wouldn’t start

Question 3

asking people to do things (requests)

potresti/puoi aspettare un momento?

Pensi di potermi portare all’aeroporto?

Answer 3

can or could
-Can you wait a moment, please?
-Could you wait a moment, please?

Do you think you could…?

Do you think you could tke me to the airport?

Question 4

asking for things

Possiamo avere il menù?

Answer 4

Can (I) have? - Could (I) have? - Can (I) get? - May (I) have?

-Can I have the menu, please?
-Could I have the menu, please?
-Can I get the menu, please?
-May I have the menu, please?

Question 5

asking to do things

posso prendere in prestito la tua bici?

Answer 5

Can - Could - May - Do you mind if (I) + present ?
is it all right if (I) + present ? - is it OK if (I) + present ?

• Can I borrow your bike?
  -Could…
• May…
• Do you think I could borrow your bike?
• Do you mind if I borrow your bike?
• Is it all right if I borrow your bike?
• is it OK if I borrow your bike?

Question 6

Offering and inviting

Posso aiutarti? No, è ok. ce la faccio, grazie
Vorresti del caffè?
Vorrei provare questa giacca, per favore

Answer 6

Can (I)…? - Would you like…? - I would like…

Can I help you? No, it’s OK. I can manage, thanks

Would you like some coffee?

I’d like to try on this jacket, please.

Question 7

talk about things that happened regularly in the past ( NO used to)

Quando eravamo bambini, ci svegliavamo tutti presto e andavamo a fare il bagno

Answer 7

would

When we were children, we would all get up early and go for a swim

Question 8

we use it to say that we regret something, that something is not as we would like it to be

Vorrei/mi piacerebbe conoscere il numero di telefono di Paul

Answer 8

wish + past simple (like a 2nd conditional) - here you can use “were” instead of “was” as well

I wish I knew Paul’s phone number

Question 9

we use it to say that we regret something about the past

Mi sento male. Vorrei non aver mangiato così tanto

Answer 9

wish + past perfect (like a 3rd conditional)

I feel sick. I wish I hadn’t eaten so much

Question 10

augurare qualcosa a qualcuno

ti auguro tutto il meglio/fortuna/successo etc.

Answer 10

wish somebody st

I wish you all the best/luck/success etc.

Question 11

augurare/augurarsi che qualcosa accada

ti auguro di sentirti meglio presto

Answer 11

hope

I hope you feel better soon

Question 12

se fossi andato alla festa ieri notte, ora sarei stanco

Answer 12

mixed conditional

• past action - present result

If I had gone to the party last night, I would be tired now

Question 13

you regret that someone cannot do st

Vorrei tu potessi restare più a lungo

Answer 13

wish s could do st

I wish you could stay longer

Question 14

you regret that someone couldn’t do st

ho sentito che la festa è stata grandiosa. Avrei voluto poterci andare

Answer 14

wish st would/could have happen

I hear the party was great. I wish I could have gone

Question 15

complain about a situation

Vorrei smettesse di piovere

complain about things that people do repeatedly

Vorrei che non continuassi ad interrompermi

Answer 15

wish st would happen

I wish it would stop raining

wish s wouldn’t do st

I wish you wouldn’t keep interrupting me

Question 16

we want something to happen (but we can’t use it to say how we would like things to be)

Vorrei Sarah venisse
Mi piacerebbe che Sarah fosse qui ora

Answer 16

wish s/st would happen

I wish Sarah would come

I wish Sarah was (were) here (NOt would be)

Question 17

you use it to say that something is possible or allowed, or that somebody has the ability to do something

Possiamo vedere il lago dal nostro hotel
Posso venire a trovarti domani se ti va

Answer 17

Can (or somebody is able to do st)

We can see the lake from our hotel/ we are able to see the lake from…

I can come and see you tomorrow, if you like

Question 18

you use it to say that somebody had the ability to do st, or was allowed to do st

mio nonno poteva parlare 5 lingue

Answer 18

could

my grandfather could speak 5 languages

Question 19

can/could vs is/was able to

Answer 19

could/can = general ability and with see, hear etc.

is/was able to or managed to = somebody succeeded in doing st in a specific situation

-Jack was an excellent tennis player. He could beat anybody (he had this ability)

-Jack and Andy played a match yesterday. Jack managed to beat Andy (he succeeded in beating him THIS TIME)

Question 20

you use it for possible actions now or in the future, especially make suggestions

Che facciamo stasera?
Potremo andare al cinema

Answer 20

Can/could ( could is less sure)

We can/could go to the cinema

Question 21

you use it for possible actions now or in the future, but they are not realistic

Answer 21

could

I’m so tired, I could sleep for a week

Question 22

we use it to say that we believe something is certain

Hai viaggiato tutto il giorno. Devi essere stanco

Answer 22

must

You’ve been travelling all day. you must be tired

Question 23

we use it to say that we believe something is not possible

non puoi essere già affamato

Answer 23

can’t

you can’t be hungry already

Question 24

must and can’t –> structure

Answer 24

a) be + tired/hungry/at work etc.

b) be + -ing (doing/going etc.)

c) get/know/have etc.

a) You’ve been travelling all day. you must be tired

b) “Joe is a hard worker”. “Joe? You must be joking”

c) They haven’t lived here for very long. They can’t know many people

Question 25

we use it to say that there no other possibility for something that happened in the past Ho perso uno dei miei guanti. Deve essermi caduto in qualche posto Max ha sbattuto contro il muro. Doveva non stare guardando dove stava andando

Answer 25

must have / can't/couldn't have done st I lost one of my gloves. I must have dropped it somewhere Max walked into a wall. He can't have been looking where he was going

Question 26

must have vs can't/couldn't have --> structure

Answer 26

must/can't/couldn't have: a) been (asleep/at work etc.) b) been + -ing (doing, looking etc.) c) gone/got/known etc. a) A: we used to live nearly the motorway B: Did you? It must have been noisy b) Max walked into a wall. He can't have been looking where he was going c) Sarah hasn't contacted me. She can't have got any message

Question 27

may/might --> past + structure a) Mi chiedo perché Kate non abbia risposto al telefono. Forse stava dormendo b) Mi chiedo perché David fosse così di cattivo umore ieri. Forse non si sentiva bene c) Perché Amy non era alla riunione ieri? Forse non lo sapeva

Answer 27

may/might have a) been (asleep/ at home etc.) b) been + -ing (doing/working/feeling etc.) c) known/had/wanted etc. a) I wonder why Kate didn't answer the phone. She may/might have been asleep b) I wonder why David was in such a bad mood yesterday. He may not have been feeling well (perhpas he wasn't feeling well) c) Wht wasn't Amy at the meeting yesterday? She might not have known about it (perhaps she didn't know)

Question 28

may/might vs could

Answer 28

could is similar it's a strange story, but it could be true (or may/might be true) couldn't is different from may/might not a) Sarah couldn't have received my message ( = it is not possible that she got my message) b) Sarah might not have received my message (=It's possible that she didn't receive it)

Question 29

may vs might when the situation is not real se mi pagassero meglio, potrei lavorare più duramente

Answer 29

might If they paid me better (not real), I might work harder (like a second conditional with "might" instead of "would")

Question 30

Perhaps you'll be in the middle of doing st in the future Non chiamare alle 8:30. Potrei stare guardando il calcio in TV

Answer 30

will be doing st but with "may/might" instead of will may/might be + ing Don't phone at 8:30. I might be watching the football on TV

Question 31

possible plans in the future Potrei andare in Irlanda presto

Answer 31

be going to do st but with "may/might" I might/may be going to Ireland soon

Question 32

we should do something because there is no better alternative. There is no reason not to do it Sono pronto, quindi tanto vale andare ora I bus sono costosi, tanto vale che prendi un taxi

Answer 32

may/might as well I'm ready, so I might/may as well go now Buses are too expansive these days, you might as well get a taxi

Question 33

have to (in future forms and others, give some examples)

Answer 33

I'll have to do st I'm going to have to do st I might/may have to do st I have had to do st

Question 34

must vs have to Non parlo con Sue da anni, devo telefonarle. Devo lavorare dalle 8 alle 17 tutti i giorni Le candidature devono pervenire entro il 18 maggio. Ieri sono dovuto uscire prima

Answer 34

a) both = you can use both when you give your own opinion about something that is necessary to do I haven't spoken to Sue for ages, I must/have to phone her b) have to/have got to = someone is obliged to do st (it's not your opinion) I have to work from 8 to 5 every day c) must = written rules and instructions Applications for the job must be received by 18 May d) Had to = to talk about the past Yesterday I had to leave early

Question 35

mustn't vs don't have to Non devi dirlo a nessuno Non devi venire con me. Posso andare da solo

Answer 35

mustn't = don't do it You mustn't tell anyone don't have to = you don't need to do it You don't have to come with me. I can go alone

Question 36

it's not necessary to do st Abbiamo molto tempo a disposizione. Non dobbiamo affrettarci

Answer 36

needn't do st / don't need to do st We have plenty of time. We needn't hurry/ don't need to hurry

Question 37

it wasn't necessary to do st (2 ways) Era tutto a posto. Non ti saresti dovuto preoccupare Non aveva bisogno di svegliari presto

Answer 37

a) needn't have done st = you did it, but now you know it was not necessary Everything was OK. You needn't have worried b) didn't need to do st (or didn't have to) = it was not necessary to do it. It doens't matter whether you did it or not He didn't need to get up early/ He didn't have to get up early

Question 38

It's a good thing to do or the right thing to do/ it's not a good thing... You are giving advice or an opinion Sembri stanco. Dovresti andare a letto L'uomo sulla motocicletta dovrebbe stare indossando un casco

Answer 38

someone should/shouldn't do st You look tired. You should go to bed The man on the motorbike should be wearing a helmet (should + preset continous)

Question 39

something is not right or what we expect Dov'è Tina? Dovrebbe essere qui a questo punto

Answer 39

should Where's Tina? She should be here by now

Question 40

we expect something to happen Helen sta studiando duramente per l'esame, quindi dovrebbe passarlo

Answer 40

should Helen has been studying hard for the exam, so she should pass

Question 41

you didn't do st, but it would have been a good thing to do/ you did something, but it wasn't a good thing to do Ti sei perso una grande festa ieri notte. Saresti dovuto venire Non avrebbe dovuto stare ad ascoltare la nostra conversazione. Era privata

Answer 41

should/shouldn't have done st You missed a great party last night. You should have come She shouldn't have been listening to our conversation. It was private (should have + present continous)

Question 42

ought to vs should

Answer 42

present = ought to negative = ought not to/oughtn't (You oughtn’t to have said that about his mother) interrogative = ought s to do st? (Ought she to call the police?) past = ought to have done st ( like should have done st) Ought to is more formal and strong than should. But not only that: if should consists of a personal advice or opinion, the use of ought to is intended to emphasise more an ethical or customary value (to which, in essence, one cannot say no). It is therefore not just an advice, but a strong invitation to follow a suggestion or call to action I think you should see a doctor. You really ought to see a doctor! uses: a) expressing a strong advice or invitation to do something, often motivated by a certain social or moral expectation (moral obligation). You really ought to stop smoking. I think we ought to give him a tip. It’s expected in America. b) communicate something that has a very high probability of happening. Darren ought to be here by now.

Question 43

we use it when we imagine a situation or action that is not real mi piacerebbe vivere vicino al mare No, non direi nulla

Answer 43

would/wouldn't do st I would love to live by the sea No, I wouldn't say anything (I wouldn't say anything in your situation)

Question 44

you use it to talk about a future from a past point of view Amy mi ha promesso che non avrebbe fatto tardi Sapevo avrebbe piovuto

Answer 44

would do st "Amy promised that she wouldn't be late" → (At the time she spoke, not being late was in her future.) "I knew it would rain." → (At that past moment, I expected rain in the future.)

Question 45

you can use it: - to insist/demand/recommend/suggest/ propose st -when you think that something "it's important/vital/essential/necessary that..." Ho insistito perché si scusasse È essenziale che tutti siano puntuali.

Answer 45

a) should do st I insisted that he should apologise It's essential that everyone should be here on time b) do st (bare infinitive) I insisted that he apologise It's essential that everyone be here on time c) present or past (depending on the first sentence verbal tense) I insisted that he apologised It's essential that everyone is here on time

Question 46

a) se qualcosa dovesse cambiare... b) dovesse qualcosa cambiare... Al momento non abbiamo posti di lavoro, ma se la situazione dovesse cambiare, vi contatteremo Se la situazione dovesse cambiare, vi contatteremo

Answer 46

a) If st should happen if st should happens = the speaker feels that the possibility is smaller than "if st happens" We have no jobs at the present, but if the situation should change, we will contact you b) Should st happen... Should the situation change, we will contact you

Question 47

when can you use "get"? C'è stata una rissa, ma nessuno si è fatto male Non vengo invitato a molte feste

Answer 47

a) for the passive, but only when things happen. It's mainly use in informal spoken English. If you want to be more formal you can use "be" instead -There was a fight, but nobody got hurt There was a fight, but nobody was hurt -I don't get invited to many parties I'm not invited to many parties b) with the following expressions (which are not passive in meaning) get married/get divorced get lost (= not know where you are) get dressed (= put on your clothes) get changed (= change your clothes)