Modální slovesa CAN, MUST, MAY nemají neurčitek a netvoří jiný než přítomný čas. Neurčitek těchto sloves a jejich ostatní slovesné časy proto tvoříme opisem:

CAN

TO BE ABLE TO …

moci, být schopen, umět, dokázat

MUST

TO HAVE TO …

muset, mít povinnost

MAY

TO BE ALLOWED TO …

smět, mít dovoleno

Slovesné časy od TO BE ABLE TO a TO BE ALLOWED TO tvoříme podle pravidel časování samostatných sloves TO BE, a od TO HAVE podle pravidel pro časování významových sloves s použitím pomocných slov DO, DOES, DON‘T, DID, DIDN‘T.

Přítomný čas:

I can sing. - I am able to sing.

 Can I sing? - Am I able to sing?

I can‘t sing. - I am not able to sing.

Předpřítomný čas:

I have been able to sing.

Have I been able to sing?

I haven‘t been able to sing.

Minulý čas:

I could sing when I was a little girl.

Could I sing when I was a little girl?

I couldn‘t sing when I was a little girl.

I was able to help my mum when I was a little girl.

Was I able to help my mum when I was a little girl?

I wasn‘t able to help my mum when I was a little girl.

Předminulý čas:

I had been able to sing before I entered kindergarten.

Had I been able to sing before I entered kindergarten?

I hadn‘t been able to sing before I entered kindergarten.

Budoucí čas:

I will be able to sing when I learn it.

Will I be able to sing when I learn it?

I won‘t be able to sing without learning it.

V minulém čase můžeme u slovesa CAN používat i jednoduchý tvar ”COULD”, který se však častěji používá v záporu a v tázacích větách. Tvar COULD používáme v minulém čase jen tehdy, když je z větné souvislosti nebo ze situace zřejmé, že jde o čas minulý. Tvar COULD je totiž také podmiňovacím způsobem. Ve významu "byl jsem schopen, dokázal jsem, povedlo se mi" používáme v minulém čase vždy opis "I was able to".

- Michael was able to repair my car yesterday.

- Were you able to do it?

- We weren‘t able to buy that expensive car.

- Michael could repair my car yesterday.

- Could you do it?

- We couldn‘t buy that expensive car.

- Michael will be able to repair my car

- Will you be able to do it?

- We won‘t be able to buy that expensive car.

Jeho opisný tvar ”TO HAVE TO” časujeme jako významové sloveso, tedy otázky a záporné věty pomocí pomocných slov.

Přítomný čas:

I must sing. - I have to sing.

Must I sing? - Do I have to sing?

I needn‘t sing. - I don‘t have to sing.

Předpřítomný čas:

I have had to sing.

Have I had to sing?

I haven‘t had to sing.

Minulý čas:

I had to sing yesterday.

Did I have to sing yesterday?

I didn‘t have to sing yesterday.

Předminulý čas:

I had had to sing before I left the party.

Had I had to sing before I left the party?

I hadn‘t had to sing before I left the party.

Budoucí čas:

I will have to sing at school.

Will I have to sing at school?

I won‘t have to sing at school.

- I must go to school. He needn‘t go to school.

- I have to go to school.

- He doesn‘t have to go to school.

- I had to go to school two years ago.

- She didn‘t have to go to school last week.

- Did they have to wait for him on Monday?

- I will have to go to school next month.

- She will not (won‘t) have to go to school.

- Will they have to wait for him?

Přítomný čas:

I may do it. - I am allowed to do it.

May I do it? - Am I allowed to do it?

I mayn‘t (mustn‘t) do it. - I am not allowed to do it.

Předpřítomný čas:

I have been allowed to do it.

Have I been allowed to do it?

I haven‘t been allowed to do it.

Minulý čas:

I was allowed to do it yesterday.

Was I allowed to do it yesterday?

I wasn‘t allowed to do it yesterday.

Předminulý čas:

I had been allowed to do it.

Had I been allowed to do it?

I hadn‘t been allowed to do it.

Budoucí čas:

I will be allowed to do it tomorrow.

Will I be allowed to do it tomorrow?

I won‘t be allowed to do it yesterday.

- He may play every day.    

- He is allowed to play every day.

- He was allowed to go to the cinema on Sunday.

- Peter wasn‘t allowed to go there last week.

- Were they allowed to come to you last night?

- John will be allowed to drive his father‘s car.

- We won‘t be allowed to do it.

- Will they be allowed to eat this cake?

- Will I be allowed to watch TV tonight?

- We haven‘t been allowed to smoke here.