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Can/could/may... Must/have to... - English lesson

➡️ 1) CAPACITY and FREEDOM the SUBJECT has to ACT (or not):

- Physical or intellectual Capacity (in the present or in the past); CAN is the modal auxiliary expressing physical and intellectual capacity; in the negative, CAN'T expresses  physical and intellectual incapacity. 

eg.: The robot can move its lips in time with the words (physical capacity) and it can speak six different foreign languages ...(intellectual capacity).  

ex: Melissa couldn't speak about her dilemma to anyone. (= incapacity in the past)

➡️ 2) PERMISSION (may/can): THE FREEDOM OF ACTION (to act, or not to act) is expressed with 'MAY', and refusal will be built with CAN'T. 

  Can I borrow your book, please? is less polite than 'May I borrow ... ?' or 'Could I borrow ...?'

eg.: Yes, Kevin, you may leave the table now, but you can't leave the house!

➡️ 3) OBLIGATION or INTERDICTION: in both cases, the FREEDOM of ACTION is denied. 

-  MUST indicates an obligation felt by the speaker:

eg.: I must go now, as I still have a lot of homework to do.

- HAVE TO insists on pure facts and regulations:

eg.: You have to leave now ! No visits after six ! 

-  The absence of necessity  minimizes the restriction of freedom. It can be expressed in three different, but equivalent, ways:  

eg.: You needn't bring your own book!( = IN THE PRESENT)

eg.: You didn't need to bring your own book! (in another tense than the present) OR You didn't have to bring your own book! 

Now, you're ready for the test !   Go for it! 

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- 'Oh Mom, must I staymay I stayshould I stayhave I to stayI don't know here while you go to the doctor's?'
- 'Of course you maymustmustn'tcan'thave toI don't know, Elsa... Don't you remember that you can haveyou must haveyou couldn't haveI don't know a shot (une piqûre) today?
If I have tomustcouldmaymustn'tI don't know, I would take you to watch a film instead, but I musthave tomaycan'tI don't know !
If you don't have it today, you won't have to'll have to getmustn't getI don't know it tomorrow... Really, you must havecan't toyou don't need toyou shouldI don't know procrastinate!
- 'Procras' what? ' Should youMust youMay youCan youI don't know repeat, please, Mom?'
- 'Procrastinate' ! It's a word you should learnyou may not learnyou mustn't learnI don't know ! It means : 'delay, or postpone'!'
- 'Come on, Mom ! You needn'tmay haveshould todon't needI don't know to use learned words just to make me go to the doctor's... I know I can't gohave gohave to gomay goI don't know... Don't worry! I'll go! You needn't toneedn'tmay nothaven't toI don't know pretend I'm a baby... I'm a big girl!'