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Double modals

In formal standard English usage, more than one modal verb is not used consecutively, as modals are followed by a base verb, which they themselves lack. They can be combined only with non-modal constructions that have a modal function, such as have to, which in spite of its function is not a modal verb. Thus, might have to is acceptable, but might must is not, even though must and have to can normally be used interchangeably. However the main auxiliary (which is usually the first modal verb in the sentence), doesn't have to be in the infinitive. To put double modals in past tense, only the first modal is changed as in I could ought to.

A greater variety of double modals appears in some regional dialects. In English, for example, phrases such as would dare to, may be able to or should have to are sometimes used in conversation and are grammatically correct. The double modal may sometimes be in the future tense, as in "I will ought to go", where will is the main verb and ought to is also an auxiliary but an infinitive. Another example is We must be able to work with must being the main auxiliary and be able to as the infinitive. Other examples include You may not dare to run or I would need to have help.

Some kinds of double modal phrases are not regarded as standard, although a combination of a modal with a modal-like construction may be used instead. "I might could do something" is wrong because could is not an infinitive. This is more often expressed as "I might have been able to do something", which is considered correct. Similarly used to could (also wrong and expressed as used to be able to) appears for example in country singer Bill Carlisle's 1951 song "Too Old to Cut the Mustard":

To form questions the subject and the first verb are swapped if the verb requires no do-support such as Shall you be able to write? If the main auxiliary requires do- support the appropriate of to do is added to the beginning as in Did he use to need to fight? As if normal modals are used the action verb needs to be in the infinitive form.

If modals are put in the perfect tense the past participle of the infinitive is used as in He had been going to swim or You have not been able to skate and to interrogate these the main verb and subject are swapped as in Has she had to come?

Double modals also occur in the closely related Germanic language Scots.

Comparison with other Germanic languages

Many English modals have cognates in other Germanic languages, albeit with different meanings in some cases. Unlike the English modals, however, these verbs are not generally defective; they can inflect, and have forms such as infinitives, participles and future tenses (for example using the auxiliary werden in German). Examples of such cognates include:

• in German: mögen, müssen, können, sollen, wollen; cognates of may, must, can, shall, and will. Although German shares five modal verbs with English, their meanings are often quite different. Mögen does not mean "to be allowed" but "may" as epistemic modal and "to like" as a normal verb followed by a noun. It can be followed by an infinitive with the meaning of 'to have a desire to'. Wollen means "will" only in the sense of "to want to" and is not used to form the future tense. Müssen, können, and sollen are used similarly as English "must", "can", and "shall". Note, however, that the negation of müssen is a literal one in German, not an inverse one as in English. This is to say that German ich muss ("I must") means "I need to", and ich muss nicht (literally the same as "I must not") accordingly means "I don't need to". In English, "to have to" behaves the same way, whereas English "must" expresses an interdiction when negated. brauchen (need) is sometimes used like a modal verb, especially negated ("Er braucht nicht kommen", "He need not come").
• in Dutch: mogen, moeten, kunnen, zullen, willen; cognates of may, must, can, shall, and will.
• in Danish: måtte, kunne, ville, skulle, cognates of may/must, can, will, shall. They generally have the same corresponding meanings in English, with the exception of ville, which usually means "to want to" (but which can also mean "will").
• in Swedish: må (past tense: måtte), måsta, kunna, vilja, ska(ll), cognates of may/might, must, can, will, shall. They generally have the same corresponding meanings in English, with the exception of vilja, which means "to want to."

Since modal verbs in other Germanic languages are not defective, the problem of double modals (see above) does not arise: the second modal verb in such a construction simply takes the infinitive form, as would any non-modal verb in the same position. Compare the following translations of English "I want to be able to dance", all of which translate literally as "I want can dance".

• German: Ich will tanzen können.
• Dutch: Ik wil kunnen dansen.
• Danish: Jeg vil kunne danse.
• Swedish: Jag vill kunna dansa.

See also

• Կաղապար:Slink

External links

Վիքիբառարան

Ընթերցե՛ք «Appendix:English modal verbs» բառի բացատրությունը Հայերեն Վիքիբառարանում։

• Verbs in English Grammar, wikibook
• modal auxiliaries Website/Project that collects phrases containing modal auxiliaries on the web (in German and English)
• modal auxiliaries Website/Project that collects phrases containing modal auxiliaries on the web (in German and English)
• Modal auxiliary verbs: special points