Modal Verbs: Can - Could - May - Might
CAN
É usado para expressar capacidade, habilidade, sugestão, possibilidade, permissão informal e pedido informal.Exemplos:
He can dance well.
(Ele sabe dançar bem.)
Can you help me?
(Você pode me ajudar?)
COULD
É usado para expressar possibilidade, sugestão, permissão formal e pedido formal.Pode expressar também capacidade ou habilidade no passado, sendo, neste caso, o passado de can.
Exemplos:
She could swim when she was six.
(Ela sabia nadar quando tinha 6 anos.)
Could you close the door, please?
(Você poderia fechar a porta, por favor?)
We could go to the park after lunch.
(Nós poderíamos ir ao parque depois do almoço.)
Exemplos:
He may know the password.
MAY
É usado para expressar possibilidade, permissão formal e pedido formal.
He may know the password.
(Ele deve saber a senha.)
It may rain later.
(Pode chover mais tarde.)
May I speak to Bob?
(Posso falar com o Bob?)
MIGHT
É usado para uma possibilidade mais remota e expressar deduções.Exemplos:
It might rain this weekend.
(Pode ser que chova neste final de semana.)
He might arrive late today.
(Ele deve chegar tarde hoje.)
She might call me later.
(Ela deve me ligar mais tarde.)
EXERCISES
1) Complete as frases com Can, Could, May ou Might:
a) She _____ speak three languages fluently.
b) I ______ play the guitar when I was ten.
c) ____ I use your book?
d) My sister ______ run 5 miles in 20 minutes.
e) My mom ______ cook very well.
f) I _____ come to your party.
g) ______ I come in?
h) My mom ______ visit me next year.
i) ______ you help me with my homework, please?
j) I am your friend, you ____ ask me anything.
2) Escolha a opção correta: Can, Can't, Could ou Couldn't
a) Penguins swim very well.
b) I run very fast when I was 15.
c) It's snowing, so we go out now.
d) Yesterday we play.
e) you play the piano when you were nine?
f) You have a nice tricycle. you ride it?
g) He has a broken leg, so he walk for a few days.
h) I sleep last night.
i) We came as fast as we .
j) Why are you crying? Is there something I do for you?
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