When to use may. Modal verb May

Modal verbs occupy a privileged position in the English language. They are not used independently, but require an infinitive after them, sometimes with the particle to, sometimes without it. In the third person and singular present tense they do not take the ending -s. Some may lack tense forms, that is, in fact, these are insufficient verbs - Defective Verbs.

We will focus on the modal verb may. First of all, it is worth noting that this is its form of the present tense, while in the past it is used might. The general meaning of the word is to be able (I can, you can, they can, maybe, etc.). Its equivalents are considered to be allowed to And to be permitted to, which, unlike the may always require an infinitive with a particle to:

I may go to bed late at night. - I am allowed/permitted to go to bed late at night. — I can go to bed late at night.

Modal verb may

• Permission. Here is the verb may can be used in all types of sentences: affirmative, interrogative and negative, because one can hardly argue with the fact that permission to do something can be asked, given or denied.

May I use your napkins? —Can I use your napkins?

You may open the window if you want to. — You can open the window if you want.

Please note that prohibition can also be expressed using other verbs:

May I drink the milk you bought yesterday? - Oh no, you must not / may not. It is bad. —Can I drink the milk you bought yesterday? - Oh, no, you can't. It's bad.

• Opportunity conditioned by circumstances. If nothing prevents the action, then this is the place for you. Used only in affirmative sentences.

You may see a lot of celebrities in Los Angeles. — You can see a lot of celebrities in Los Angeles.

In this restaurant you may try the world-famous Ukrainian cuisine. — In this restaurant you can try world-famous Ukrainian cuisine.

Modal verb might

As you noticed, the translation might is no different from its neighbor, which means that sometimes it can be found not in the context of the past tense.

• Reproach. Found here exclusively might with different forms of the infinitive, although all of them will express an action that is no longer completed.

You might have tape me the book. I wanted to read it so badly. “You could lend me a book.” I wanted to read it so badly.

You might help your mother cook dinner for the whole family. “You could help mom prepare dinner for the whole family.”

• At coordination of times in indirect speech.

He mentioned that Robert might go there. “He mentioned that Robert might go there.”

I wondered who might know about the occurrence. “I was wondering who might know about the incident.”

Using may and might

• For expression future tense about those events that are just to come. As for the translation might And may- they match.

They may/might choose France for their vacation. — They might choose France for their vacation.

You may leave now but I want you to stay. “You may leave now, but I want you to stay.”

• Uncertainty, doubt about performing any action. In this case, the verb may is translated “perhaps, maybe” and is used with different infinitive forms - both simple and perfect.

I bought this dress last week. You may like it or not. — I bought this dress last week. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't.

Jack may have already been reading for hours. — Jack may already be reading for hours on end.

When you feel that Jane gets remote you might like to hug her and never let go. “When you feel Jane becoming distant, you might want to hug her and never let her go.”

• Please note that the probability of performing an action increases from might To may. It seems like a subtlety, but such things are also important, for example, when giving testimony or weather forecasts :

It may rain today. — It might rain today.

It might rain today. — Maybe it will rain today.

Finally, we will share with you stable expressions with our little friends:

You may depend upon it. - You can be sure.

Come what may. - No matter what happens.

May you rest in peace. - May the earth rest in peace.

A cat may look at a king. - I'm no worse than you.

May as well. - It’s quite possible.

Well, modal verb may- this is a tough nut to crack. You will have to redo a lot of exercises and return to the rule several times to feel like a fish in water. Whether you want it or not, you will need to work hard, but the result will not be long in coming.

They cause a lot of doubt and confusion in use. Even native speakers often wonder which of these words to use in a particular case. Some people are quite confident that they are completely interchangeable, especially in colloquial speech. Well, is there any difference at all? In this article, we will point out the unique characteristics of each. The many examples given here will clearly show how to use it correctly. may And might.

May and Might in Possibility Expressions

In popular use and speech may And might are used interchangeably when talking about possibility and probability, but there is a slight difference between them.

May used to express something that is possible, already actually is, or might actually be:

He may lose his job.(He may lose his job.)
We may go on vacation.(We can go on vacation.)
I may have dessert after dinner.(I may have dessert after dinner.)

Might used to express hypothetical situations that have never existed in the real world, or with a slim possibility:

If you hurry, you might get there on time.(If you hurry, you can get there in time.)
If I had shown up on time, I might have kept my job.(If I had shown up on time, I could have kept my job.)
If I win the lottery, I might buy a Ferrari.(If I win the lottery, I can buy a Ferrari.)

Let us immediately note that might deals with situations that are fictitious or do not actually occur, that is, hypothetical situations, whereas may deals with situations that are possible or likely to be actual.

A simple way to remember this difference is that might suggests a lower probability than may . If something is very far-fetched, use might . You might say that this is possible for events that are mighty far-fetched.extremely far-fetched

Might is the past tense of may

The second difference between might And may ( and the most important thing) is that might is past form may . In most doubtful situations, we can easily select the desired form simply by keeping this in mind. For example:

He might have called earlier, but I was not home.(He may have called earlier, but I was not at home.) - past tense
The criminal might not have been caught, had you not sounded the alarm.(Perhaps the criminal would not have been caught if you had not raised the alarm.) - past tense
I may go to the movies tonight.(I can go to the cinema tonight.) - present tense

If you can time your proposal, you can easily choose between might And may .

Can Might/May Have be used interchangeably?

Some native speakers claim that you can use might have and may have interchangeably, but linguists think this is a bad idea. May cannot be used in the past tense.

If John Lennon had not been shot, the Beatles might have gotten back together.(If John Lennon had not been shot, the Beatles might have gotten back together.)
If John Lennon had not been shot, the Beatles may have gotten back together.(If John Lennon hadn't been shot, the Beatles might have gotten back together.)

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Basic meaning of modal verb may- assumption and resolution, translated into Russian as “possible, maybe, probably.”

Forms of the modal verb may

May has two temporary forms: may- present tense form (Present Simple) and might- past tense form (Past Simple).

Remember: might as the past tense of may used only when agreeing on tenses.

Both forms and may, And might used with all persons.

You may go - You may not go - May I go?

You might go - You might not go (You mightn't go) - Might I go?

After a modal verb may/ might followed by an infinitive verb without particle to . Notice the missing particle to after may/ might!

Modal verb may. Use

Modal verb may used:

to express permission. May not in this case, he expresses the refusal “you can’t, I don’t allow”:

You may take only one brochure. — You can only take one brochure (permit).
You may take my pen. — You can take my pen (permission).
You may not park your car in front of the gate. — You cannot park your car in front of the gate (not allowed).

to express a polite request, and more formal than with the verb:

May we come a bit later? - Can we come a little later? (polite request)
May I sit next to you? -Can I sit next to you? (polite request)

Permission and request from may will always sound more formal than with can.

to express possibility, existing due to objective circumstances:

These tablets may produce serious side effects if not taken in the correct dosage. - These pills can cause serious side effects if not taken in the correct dosage (typical case).

to express an assumption, mixed with doubt. Translated into Russian “perhaps, maybe.” In this meaning after may different forms of the infinitive may follow depending on the time when the action occurs:

He may come. - He may come (He may come).
She may be working now. — She may be working now (She may be working now).
They may have arrived hours ago. - They may have arrived a few hours ago (They could have arrived a few hours ago).
He may have been waiting for us for an hour already. “He’s probably been waiting for us for an hour.”

Use of might

Might used:

as a past tense form from may when agreeing tenses in indirect speech:

He asked if he might borrow the car. — He asked if he could borrow the car. (He asked, ‘May I borrow the car?’)
He said that he might come. “He said he might come.” (He said, “I may come.”)

to express an extremely polite request:

Might I ask do you have a question? - Can I ask you a question? (very polite request)

to express an assumption, mixed with doubt. In this meaning after might different forms of the infinitive can also follow:

I might go to the movies tonight. — Maybe I’ll go to the cinema tonight (maybe I will, although I’m not sure).
It might rain later. — It might rain later (or maybe not).
It's ten o'clock. They might have arrived now. - Ten o'clock. Perhaps they have arrived (or maybe they have not arrived yet).

Difference between may and might

From the above, we see that may, And might are used to express assumption mixed with doubt. In this meaning may / might practically interchangeable. There is a small nuance: might expresses less confidence than may. In percentage terms it will look like this:

I may pass the exam. — Perhaps I’ll pass the exam (I’m about 50-60% sure, maybe I’ll pass it after all)
I might pass the exam. — Perhaps I will pass the exam (I am about 20-30% sure, that is, the likelihood that I will pass the exam is extremely small).

Be allowed to is the equivalent of the modal verb may

At the modal verb may there is an equivalent be allowed to, which can be used in different tenses and convey the resolution value:

Present Simple: am / is / are + allowed to — We are allowed to stay at home. — We are allowed to stay at home (we can stay).
Past Simple: was / were + allowed to — We were allowed to stay at home. - We were allowed to stay at home.
Future Simple: will be + allowed to — We will be allowed to stay at home. - We will be allowed to stay at home.

Greetings, friends! We continue to study modal verbs and today we’ll talk about their temporary forms: past and future.

All necessary changes in time are reflected by the modal verb, since the main semantic part of the sentence is in the infinitive. However, there are rare cases when the modal word does not change, but the semantic word, on the contrary, carries the main temporary load. In a sentence, all necessary changes in time, with rare exceptions, are reflected by the modal verb, and the main semantic verb in the sentence is in the infinitive

Changing modal verbs by tense

The present tense is not the subject of our study today, since it is extremely simply constructed:

Modal verb (in its “standard form”) + infinitive of the main verb

At the same time, the modal word will not change when conjugated with he, she, it, that is, the ending -s will not be added under any circumstances.

• He plays football. - He plays football
• He can play football. — He can play football

But now we’ll learn about how modal words change in the past and future.

Modal verb -can

Past	could
Future	shall/will be able to

I cannot help him. — I can't help him.

-Can is the only modal word that, in the negative form of the present tense, merges with the particle -not

I couldn't help him. — I couldn't help him.

Due to the fact that can does not apply in the future, if necessary, the equivalent is used - to be able to

I shall not be able to help him. — I can't help him.

Modal word- must

Modal verbs can, may, must change in different tense forms

• He may send a letter, if he wants. — He can send a letter if he wants
• He might send a letter. — He was allowed to send a letter

To construct the future tense, the equivalent is used - to be allowed to.
He will be allowed to send a letter. - He will be allowed to send a letter.

Both modal and semantic

-Need is unusual in that it is also used as a semantic verb in the meaning “ need to», « necessary", and as modal

1. In the role of semantic changes in each of the tenses, like usual, that is, characteristic endings are added:
   • -s (present tense with he, she, it)
   • - ed (in the past)
2. In interrogative and negative type of sentences, an auxiliary word is used - to do .
   • He needs to be strong. — He needs to be strong
   • We needed more money to buy a car. — We needed more money to buy a car
   • Do you need to leave here? — Do you need to stay here?
     No, I don't

3. As a modal word - need loses all these characteristics, while having only one form - the present tense

dare
Past	dared
Future	-

• How do they dare talk about it? — How dare they talk about this?
• We dared not answer them. — We didn't dare answer them.

Like - need, —dare can also be used as a semantic verb

• Has the same meaning as " dare», « dare to do something«
• Has all the forms and characteristics of a regular verb
• Used most often in negative sentences and in the past tense
• There is practically no use in the future

She did not dare to ask me about my decision. — She didn't dare ask me about my decision.

Unchanging -ought to

Is similar in meaning to -must, but more “soft”, replacing “ must" on " should»

• As for his temporary forms, he has only one of them - the present
• The main verb, usually in the infinitive, in combination with - ought to can take some of the tense forms, thus influencing the chronological features of the sentence

This is exactly the rare case that we talked about at the beginning.

I suggest comparing the following examples.

• You ought to help her. — You should help her
• You ought to have helped her. — You should have helped her

That is Perfect Infinitive (perfect infinitive), having the shape have + verb+ed , coming after - ought to helps reflect past tense:

1. Action that was not completed
   Frank ought to have told us about this news. - Frank should have been told about this news.
2. An action that took place in the past but was not desired
   John ought not to have telephoned her. — John shouldn't have called her

Declension -to be obliged (to)

to be obliged to
Past	was/were obliged to
Future	shall/will obliged to

To be obliged (to) is also equivalent must, taking on a more formal tone: “ be obliged«

• Students are required to attend classes. — Students are required to come to class
• Alice was obliged to say the truth in the courtroom. — Alice had a duty to tell the truth in the courtroom
• Tom will be obliged to return this money. — Tom will be obliged to return this money

Multifunctional - to be (to)

The sentence may include:

1. A semantic verb meaning “ be", « be»
2. Linking verb meaning “is”: am
3. An auxiliary verb in all tenses of the group Continuous And Perfect Continuous
   • Am, is, are, was, were, will be
   • Has/have been, had been,shall/will have been
4. And finally, with a modal verb
   

   Being a modal word, it expresses obligation and indicates that some action must occur due to a plan, schedule or agreement

   .
   Declension in tenses to be (to).

The modal verb MAY means to be able in the sense of having permission. I can, I'm allowed. This verb has only two tenses: present may and past might.

Example:

May I carry something? Can I carry something?
May I open the window? May I open the window?

01. The modal verb May, in combination only with a non-perfect general infinitive, is used to express permission to perform an action (in interrogative and affirmative sentences).

Example:

May I carry something?
Can I carry something?

May I go now?
Can we go now?

You may enter now.
Now you can log in.

In the meaning of permission, May is interchangeable with CAN, although in modern English Can is more commonly used. In colloquial speech, permission can be expressed in another way: instead of May, “to do” is used

Example:

May I open the window? – Please do
May I open the window? - Please.

To express permission relating to the future tense, to be allowing to, to be permitted is used.

Example:

I think they will be allowed to go with us.
I think they will be allowed to come with us.

He will not be permitted to play out of doors so late.
He shouldn't be allowed to play outside this late.

02. In combination with any form of the infinitive, the modal verb May can mean assumption, uncertainty. In this meaning, May is used in affirmative and negative sentences.

Example:

It may rain today.
It might rain today.

Of course a miracle may happen and you may be a great painter, but…the chances are a million to one against it.
Of course, a miracle may happen and you will become a great artist, but there is one chance in a million.

You might not be speaking the truth.
Maybe you're not telling the truth (now).

Mrs Martin says you might be very busy.
Mrs Martin says you may be very busy.

She may come or she may not.
Maybe she'll come, maybe she won't.

He may not have returned to Moscow.
He may not have returned to Moscow yet.

He may have missed the train.
Maybe he missed the train.

Mrs Chevely may have changed since then.
Perhaps Mrs. Civilly has changed since then.

He may (might) have been waiting for you for a long time.
Perhaps (maybe) she has been waiting for you for a long time.

His name is Starfield. You may have heard of him.
His name is Starfield. You may have already heard about him.

You may have been joking, but he for sure wasn’t.
You may have been joking, but he certainly wasn't.

The imperfect infinitive shows that the action belongs to the present or future time, and the perfect – to the past.
In interrogative sentences, to convey the meaning of an assumption, the following is used:
Do you think...?

Do you think he has missed the train?
Maybe he missed the train?

Note:

It is worth paying attention to the fact that the modal verb May in this meaning does not express the time of action. The time of action is shown by the infinitive. May is a form of the indicative mood; it expresses a lesser degree of doubt about the possibility of performing an action. Might is a form of the subjunctive mood that expresses a greater degree of doubt.

The modal verb Might is used in the following cases:

01. In indirect speech according to the rule of tense agreement (although Could is more often used) /
In indirect speech, after the author’s words in the past tense, only the form Might is used, regardless of the shade of meaning conveyed by the modal verb.
If the action expressed by the infinitive was past in relation to the words of the author, the perfect infinitive is used.
If the action was simultaneous or future in relation to the words of the author, a simple infinitive is used.

Example:

He said that he might go to the Zoo on Sunday.
He said that he could go to the Zoo on Sunday.

They said that she might have missed her train.
They said she might have missed the train.

At the hospital they told me that I might wait.
The hospital told me I could wait.

02. Proposal to take an action.
Here we usually use a modal verb in the form Might in an affirmative sentence. The verb is followed by a simple infinitive.

Example:

We might visit Ann on Sunday.
We could visit Anya on Sunday.

We might go to the country tomorrow.
We could go out of town tomorrow. (Should we go tomorrow?)

It's early yet. We might walk part of the way.
It is too early. We could walk part of the way.

We are going there too.. We might meet.
We are going there too. We could meet.

03. The modal verb Might is used in affirmative sentences to express reproach for what is not being done, has not been done.

Example:

You might offer to help.
You could offer your help.

You might have opened the door for me.
You could open the door for me.

You might have told us about it half and hour.
You could have told us about this half an hour ago.

You might think about someone else.
You might want to think about others too.

He might at least have had the decency not to read.
He could, at least out of decency, not read it.

04. The modal verbs May and Might are included in a number of stable combinations.

As soon as may be..
As fast as possible…

If I may so…
If I may say so...

May you be happy (successful)
May happiness (success) be with you

Oh, that we might end all wars (illness)
Oh, if only we could end wars (diseases) forever.

05. Modal verbs May and Might are used in complex sentences.

In a subordinate clause

Example:

However hard he might try, he will never be at the head of the class.
No matter how hard he tries, he will not be the first student in the class.

In the subordinate clause of the purpose

Example:

The teacher gave the pupil his book so that he might learn the poem.
The teacher gave the student a book so that he could learn the poem.