Structure In the present: Subject Modal Base Form Objects at work.

I You He, She We They

must be might be could be can't be

In the past: Subject Modal Perfect Form Objects I early. You must have left He, She We might have left They
could have left can't have left

Examples They must be in Spain by now.

She must have done well on the test.

Usage Use 'must' plus the verb when you are 100% (or almost 100%) sure that something is the case.

She might come this evening.

David may invite Jesica to the match. Jack might have gone to France.

Use 'might' or 'may' to express an opinion that you think has a good possibility of being true.

Jane could be at work.

Peter could have arrived late.

Use 'could' to express a possibilty which is one of many. This form is not as strong as 'might' or 'may'. It is just one of a number of possibilities.

You can't be serious!

They can't have worked until late.

Use 'can't' to express an opinion that you are 100% sure is NOT true.
Notice that the past form remains 'can't have done'

Los hispano-parlantes suelen tener dudas con respecto a esta gramtica de verbos modales. Por ello, la hemos ampliado en este tutorial.

MUST BE
Analiza cuidadosamente esta situacin-ejemplo:

Monica is a very good tennis player, and not many players beat her. But yesterday she played against Bill and Bill won. So, Bill must be a very good player (otherwise he wouldn't have won).
(Debe ser un muy buen jugador; de lo contrario, no habra ganado). RESUMIENDO: Utilizamos MUST para indicar que "estamos seguros de que algo es verdad". Ms ejemplos: 1) Lucy, you've been traveling all day. You must be tired. (= I am sure that you are tired.) Luca, has estado viajando todo el da. Debes estar cansada. (= Estoy seguro/a [no me caben dudas] de que ests cansada).

2) Your exams are next week. You must be studying very hard right now. (= I am sure that you are studying.) Tus exmenes son la semana prxima. Debes estar estudiando mucho ahora. (= Estoy seguro/a [no me caben dudas] de que ests estudiando). 3) Manuel knows a lot about films. He must like to go to the movies. (= I am sure he likes to go to the movies.) Manuel sabe mucho de pelculas. Debe gustarle ir al cine. (= Estoy seguro/a [no me caben dudas] de que le gusta ir al cine).

CAN'T BE
Utilizamos CAN'T para indicar que "creemos que algo es imposible". Observa este ejemplo: You've just had dinner. You can't be hungry already. (= It is impossible that you are hungry.) Acabas de cenar. No es posible que ya tengas hambre. (= Es imposible que tengas hambre). Analiza ahora estas 4 estructuras gramaticales con MUST BE y CAN'T BE: You/he/they must be thirsty/hungry, etc. (Debes tener/Debe tener/Deben tener sed/hambre, etc). You/he/they can't be thirsty/hungry, etc. (Es imposible que t tengas/l tengas/ellos tengan sed/hambre, etc). You/he/they must be studying/waiting/coming, etc. (Debes estar/Debe estar/Deben estar estudiando, esperando, por venir, etc). You/he/they can't be studying/waiting/coming, etc. (Es imposible que t ests/l est/ellos estn estudiando, esperando, por venir, etc)

PAST TENSE: MUST HAVE / CAN'T HAVE

Para el pasado -y esta es la parte gramatical que ms nos interesa en esta explicacin- utilizamos MUST HAVE (DONE) y CAN'T HAVE (DONE). Analiza cuidadosamente esta situacin-ejemplo:

We went to Roy's house last night and rang the doorbell. There was no answer. He must have gone out (otherwise he would have answered).
(Debi haber salido; de lo contrario, habra contestado). Ms ejemplos: 1) The phone rang, but I didn't hear it. I must have been asleep. Son el telfono pero no lo oi. Deb haberme quedado dormido.

2) I made a lot of noise when I came home. You must have heard me. Hice mucho ruido cuando llegu a casa. Debes haberme odo. 3) She passed me on the street without speaking. She can't have seen me. Ella pas a mi lado en la calle sin hablarme. No me debe haber visto.

SHOULD HAVE
Analiza cuidadosamente esta situacin-ejemplo para expresar "sugerencia o consejo":

Why did you leave that message on Monica's answering machine? She never checks her messages. You should have talked to her instead.
(Deberas haber hablado personalmente con ella en lugar de dejarle un mensaje. Mnica jams revisa los mensajes de su contestador telefnico