Modal Verbs: Must, Should, May, Might
Must — Strong obligation / Prohibition
- You must wear a seatbelt. (obligation)
- You must not (mustn't) smoke here. (prohibition)
- She must be tired. (logical deduction)
Should — Advice / Recommendation
- You should study more. (consejo)
- She shouldn't eat so much sugar. (you shouldn't)
- Should I call the doctor?
May — Posibilidad / Permiso formal
- It may rain later. (posibilidad ~50%)
- May I come in? (permiso formal)
- She may not eat today. (maybe not)
Might — Posibilidad menor
- It might rain. (posibilidad ~30%)
- He might be at home. (maybe)
- They might not eat. (maybe not)
Summary
| Modal | Use | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| must | obligation/prohibition | 💪💪💪 Strong |
| should | advice/recommendation | 💪💪 Medium |
| may | possibility/formal permission | 💪 ~50% |
| might | lower possibility | 😐 ~30% |
💡 Modal verbs: NO "to", NO "-s", NO "do/does" for questions. ✅ She must go. ❌
She musts go.❌She must to go.