Permission

can, could, may, might

The most common modal verbs to talk about permission

are can, could, may and might.

 Can I sit here. (informal; asking for permission)

 You can/can’t sit here.
 Could I use this chair? (more polite)
 You may use this chair. (formal; giving permission)
 Might/May I use this chair. (more formal; asking for permission)
 Sorry, you can’t use this chair. (informal; refusing permission)
 Sorry, you may not use this chair. (formal; refusing permission)

was/were allowed to, couldn’t

To talk about the past, we use the forms was/were allowed to or couldn’t.

 He wasn’t allowed to sit down during the lesson.

 He couldn’t sit down during the lesson.
 He was allowed to receive visits. (NOT could)

Obligation

must / have to

Must and have to are used to express obligation. When we use must this usually
means that the obligations comes from the speaker, it’s like a personal obligation,
whereas have to normally means that the obligation is external.

 I must give up smoking. (I need to, I say so)

 I have to give up smoking. (I’m obliged. My doctor says so)
In informal English can also use ‘ve got to to express obligation (⇒ See Have –
auxiliary or main verb).

 I’ve got to be there before ten.

In the past, we use had to in every instance.

 I had to give up smoking. (because I needed to, or because my doctor forced

me to).

mustn’t / don’t have to

The negative forms mustn’t and don’t have to are completely different. Mustn’t is
used to express prohibition (an obligation not to do something), whereas don’t have
to is used to express an absence of obligation. (⇒ See Have to, must, should –
obligation, prohibition, necessity, advice)

 You mustn’t reveal where you get the information. (=you have the
obligation not to do it)
 You don’t have to arrive before 7. (=you can do it, but it’s not necessary, there’s
no obligation)

Necessity

need to, have to, don’t need to, don’t have to

We use need to/have to or don’t need to/don’t have to + infinitive to say that
something is or is not necessary.

 We need to/have to confirm our reservations before Friday.

 You don’t need to/don’t have to believe in God to be a good person.

don’t need to / needn’t

We can use both don’t need to or needn’t + infinitive to say that it is unnecessary to
do something. However, when we are talking about a general necessity (in general,
not on one specific occasion), we normally use don’t need to, and we can use
both don’t need to or needn’t + infinitive when we are talking about a specific
necessity (on one specific occasion).

 The doctor said I don’t need to wear glasses. (in general, all the time)
 Tell him he doesn’t need to/needn’t wash the dishes. I’ll do it later. (on one
specific occasion)

didn’t need to / needn’t have

When something was not necessary but we did it, we can use both didn’t need
to + infinitive and needn’t have + past participle.

 Thanks, it’s very beautiful, but you didn’t need to buy/needn’t have
bought anything. (=you did it)

However, when something was not necessary and we did not do it, we can only
use didn’t need to.

 I didn’t buy any groceries because Sarah told me I didn’t need to buy
anything. (NOT needn’t have bought)

be able to, be allowed to, be permitted to, be supposed/meant to, had better

be able to / be allowed to

We can use person + be able to / be allowed to instead of can to express permission

or possibility. (⇒ See Can, could, be able to – ability and possibility)

 We were allowed to eat all that we wanted.

 You won’t be able to finish before the deadline.

We do NOT use it + be able to/be allowed to.

 You are not allowed to use your mobile phones. (NOT It isn’t allowed to
use …)
it is (not) permitted to

We can use it + be (not) permitted to +infinitive to express permission or prohibition in

formal or official situations, to say what the rules or laws are.

 It is not permitted to take photos of the archive documents.

 Picnics are not permitted in the park.

be supposed to / be meant to

We can also use be supposed/meant to + infinitive to express obligation or

permission, to say what we should or shouldn’t do.

 We are supposed/meant to check in one hour before take-off.

 What are you doing? You aren’t supposed/meant to be here.

had better, had better not

We use had better + infinitive (without to) to talk about actions we think
someone should or shouldn’t do. There is often a negative result if the action is carried
out. We normally use the shortened form ‘d better, and the negative form is never
contracted: ‘d better not.

 We’d better hurry up/meant to check in or we’ll miss our train.

 You’d better not tell her you broke the vase –she’ll get very mad.

When we want to express permission, prohibition (not allowing something),

obligation or no obligation we use modal verbs.

Permission – can, may, could

'Can' is most often used to ask for or give permission but 'may' and 'could'
are also possible even though they are not used as often as 'can'.

Can I borrow a pen?

You can sit here, the seat is free.
Could I open the window?
May I ask a question?
 Prohibition
'Can't' and 'mustn't' (must not) are used to show that something is
prohibited (not allowed)
You can't go into that restaurant without a tie.
You can't drive in this country unless you are over eighteen.
You mustn't use your phone in class.
'Can't' usually gives the idea of something that is against the rules. Mustn’t
usually means that it is the speaker who is setting the rule.

Obligation
'Have to' and 'must' are both used to express obligation. There is a slight
difference in the way that they are both used.
'Have to' shows that the obligation comes from someone else, not the
speaker. This is usually referring to a rule or law.
We have to be at the airport at least two hours before the flight.
I have to work on Saturday.
They have to wear their uniforms at school.
'Must' shows us that the obligation comes from the speaker.
I must hand in my thesis by tomorrow.
I really must call my parents.

Here is an example of the difference between 'have to' and 'must':

My doctor said that I have to stop smoking or I'll risk serious problems. (I
have no choice)
I must stop smoking. It’s costing me too much money. (it’s my decision)

We use 'don't have to' to show that there is no obligation. You can
do something if you want but it is not an obligation.
You don't have to wear a tie to go to that restaurant but it would be nice.
You didn't have to call for me. I could have got a taxi.
Students don't have to wear uniforms to school.

Lesson by Tristan

Now choose the correct verb for these sentences:

 1. You ___ come to the meeting but it would help us all if you’re
there.

mustn't

don't have to
 2. I can’t get a connection on my phone. ___ I borrow yours?

can

have to

 3. The rules say that you ___ only invite one guest to the club.

can

have to

 4. I ___ stay on for a few hours because I’d rather work late today
than over the weekend.

have to

must

 5. There’s a lot of noise coming from outside. ___ I close the

window?

Could

Must

 6. You ___ start saving money if you want to retire early.

can

have to

 7. Did they tell you that you ___ come into this area. It’s restricted
to staff only.
 don't have to

can't

 8. We ___ be there fifteen minutes before the concert starts.

have to

can
Modals (1)

Permission, Prohibition, Obligation, No obligation

To express permission, prohibition, obligation and no obligation we usually use modal verbs.

Permission

Can is often used to ask for and give permission.

Can I sit here?

You can use my car if you like.

Can I make a suggestion?

We can also use may and could to ask for and give permission but can is used more

often.

Prohibition

Both can’t and mustn’t are used to show that something is prohibited – it is not allowed.
You can’t park here, sir.

You can wear jeans but you can’t wear trainers in that bar.

You mustn’t speak when the teacher is speaking.

Can’t tells us that something is against the rules. Mustn’t is usually used when the obligation
comes from the person who is speaking.

Obligation

Have to and must are both used to express obligation. There is a slight difference between the
way they are used.

Have to shows us that the obligation comes from somebody else. It’s a law or a rule and the
speaker can’t change it.

Do you have to wear a uniform at your school?

John can’t come because he has to work tomorrow.

In Britain you have to buy a TV licence every year.

Must shows us that the obligation comes from the speaker. It isn’t a law or a rule.

I must call my dad tonight.

You must hand in your homework on Tuesday or your mark will be zero.

You must come and visit us the next time you come to London.

No obligation

We use don’t have to to show that there is no obligation. You can do something if you want to
but it’s not compulsory.
You don’t have to wear a tie in our office. You can wear a tie if you want to but it’s OK if you
don’t.

It’ll be nice if you do but you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.

You don’t have to dress up for the party. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in.

Modal Verbs for Prohibition

Modal verbs are used for prohibition. These situations are the opposite of giving permission.
This modal verbs for prohibition lesson shows you how to use may and can to prohibit someone
or create rules. Links to the exercises are at the bottom of the page.

The modal verbs used are May and Can. They are used as negatives:

Can’t

Must not

May not

Can’t

Can’t is the most common way to prohibit something in English. It is not as formal as must not
or may not, but it is the most common. Here are some examples:

You can’t drive here.

You can’t wear a hat in class.

You can’t smoke in the office.

Can’t is normally used to show inability, but in these examples it shows prohibition. It is like you
are saying you do not have the ability because of the rules.

You could also ask questions about the rules:

Can I smoke in here?

Can I park my car here?

Now, let’s look at two more formal ways to prohibit something.

May Not

May not is the formal way to prohibit something. Here are some examples:

You may not smoke in this house.

You may not wear shoes in the office.

You may not eat in the conference room.

Like can, you could ask questions about the rules with may:

May I smoke here?

May I eat in this room?

Because may is the most formal, you will often see it in writing. Finally, let’s look at the
strongest way to prohibit something.
 Must Not

This is the third way you can prohibit an action or make a rule against something. Here are
some examples:

You must not use a cell phone.

You must not write with pencil.

You must not play music.

Unlike the first two examples, you cant ask questions about rules with must.

These are the two modal verbs you can use for prohibition. Do you think you are
ready to try some of the exercises?Common English Words: Permission,
Obligation, Prohibition

PERMISSION = IT’S OK

You can smoke here. (Image source: MyDoorSign.com)

English words used for permission:

 can
 allowed
 may
 permitted
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
The word “to” is used after allowed and permitted, but not
after can or may.
 You’re allowed to smoke in here.
 You can to smoke in here.
 You can smoke in here.
Can is more informal, may and permitted are more formal, and allowed is
both formal and informal.
For the past and future of “can,” you can use could / was allowed (in the
past) and will be allowed (in the future):
 When I was a kid, I was allowed to stay up until 11 PM on Friday
nights.
 We‘ll be allowed to check two suitcases on the flight.

OBLIGATION = IT’S NECESSARY

You have to show your photo ID.

English words used for obligation:

 have to
 need to
 must
 required
What’s the difference?
Must and required are more formal than have to and need to.
Don’t use “to” after “must.”
Supposed to / Not supposed to
 You can use these words for “light” requirements and prohibitions – for
example, rules that are often not followed.

 We’re supposed to arrive on time, but it’s OK if we’re a little late. Our
boss is pretty relaxed.
 The employees aren’t supposed to eat lunch at their desks, but a lot of
them do so anyway.

PROHIBITION = IT’S NOT OK

You’re not allowed to swim here.

English words used for prohibition:

 can’t
 mustn’t
 not allowed
 not permitted
What’s the difference?
Can’t is more informal, mustn’t and not permitted are more formal,
and not allowed is both formal and informal.
Don’t use “to” after “mustn’t.”
Pronunciation
The first “t” in “mustn’t” is silent!
 NO OBLIGATION = IT’S NOT NECESSARY

You don’t need to wear shoes here.

English words used for no obligation:

 don’t have to
 don’t need to
 not necessary
 not required
 optional
What’s the difference?
Don’t have to and don’t need to are more informal. Not necessary, not
required, and optional are more formal.