VERB MEANING / USE EXAMPLE (PRESENT) EXAMPLE (PAST)

MUST (have to) You must drink less You should have
You mustnt smoke eaten less
SHOULD (OUGHT TO) Obligation I have to return the You had to eat less
book now You ought to have
You should apologise apologized.

DONT HAVE TO No obligation We dont have to We didnt have to

wear a tie wear a tie

MUST Necessity They must have clean They had to have

water clean water.
HAVE (GOT) TO We have to get some We had to get some
sleep sleep
NEED / NEED TO I need new shoes I needed new shoes

DONT HAVE TO NO necessity We dont have to We didnt have to

NEEDNT wear a tie wear a tie
DONT NEED TO We neednt book in We neednt have
advance booked in advance
We dont need to We didnt need to
book in advance book in advance

ABILITY AND PERMISSION

CAN ABILiTY She can play the She could play the
piano piano
Be able to
We can buy a new We were able to buy
house a new house
Shes able to play the She was able to play
piano whenever she the piano
wants
CANT /CANNOT
(not be able to) NO ability She cant play the She couldnt play the
piano today piano yesterday.
She isnt able to play She wasnt able to
the piano because play the piano
her hand hurts because her hands
hurt.

CAN /MAY Permission You can park here. We could park there.
(be allowed to) Visitors may use the Visitors could use the
car park. car park.
Visitors are allowed Visitors were allowed
to use the car park. to use the car park

CANT /CANNOT/ You cant park here We couldnt park

MAY NOT Prohibition Visitors may not use here.
(not be allowed to) the car park. Visitors could not use
Visitors are not the car park.
allowed to use the Visitors were not
car park. allowed to use the
car park.

BE ABLE TO

We use be able to for particular instances, it often suggest managing to overcome difficulties:

Ex: She was able to swim across the river althout it was very wide.

We also use be able to for things which a person will be capable of doing in the future, but not
now:

Ex. If she practices, shell be able to play the piano.

COULD

Could doesnt always have a past meaning.

You could visit the museum (now or in the future)

It could be very cold at night (generally speaking)