Modals: permission and obligation
Look at these examples to see how can, can't, must, mustn't, have to and don’t have to are used.
You can put your shoes and coat over there.
You can't leave your bike there.
I must call the electrician and get that light fixed.
You mustn't worry about me. I'll be fine.
You have to have a licence to drive a car.
You don't have to have a licence to cycle on the roads.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We often use verbs with modal meanings to talk about permission and obligation.
Permission
can
We often use can to ask for and give permission.
Can I sit here?
You can use my car if you like.
Can I make a suggestion?
could
We also use could to ask for permission (but not to give it). Could is more formal and polite than can.
Could I ask you something?
Could I interrupt?
Could I borrow your pen for a moment, please?
may
May is the most formal way to ask for and give permission.
May I see your passport, please?
Customers may request a refund within a period of 30 days.
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Prohibition
We use can't and mustn't to show that something is prohibited – it is not allowed.
can't
We use can't to talk about something that is against the rules, particularly when we didn't make the rules.
What does this sign say? Oh, we can't park here.
You can't take photos in the museum. They're really strict about it.
Sorry, we can't sell knives to under-18s.
must not/mustn't
We use must not to talk about what is not permitted. It is common on public signs and notices informing people of rules and laws.
Visitors must not park in the staff car park.
Baggage must not be left unattended.
Guests must not make noise after 10 p.m.
We use mustn't particularly when the prohibition comes from the speaker.
(Parent to child) You mustn't say things like that to your sister.
(Teacher to student) You mustn't be late to class.
I mustn't let that happen again.
Obligation
We use have to and must to express obligation. There is a slight difference between the way we use them.
have to
Have to shows us that the obligation comes from outside the speaker.
We have to wear a uniform when we're working in reception.
(Student to teacher) When do we have to hand in our homework?
Al has to work tomorrow so he can't come.
We sometimes call this 'external obligation'.
must
Must expresses a strong obligation or necessity. It often shows us that the obligation comes from the speaker (or the authority that wrote the sentence).
I must phone my dad. It's his birthday today.
(Teacher to student) You must hand in your homework on Tuesday or you will lose ten per cent of your mark.
(Sign on a plane) Seat belts must be worn by all passengers.
Note that we don't use must to express obligation in the past. We use have to instead.
I had to pay £85 to renew my passport last week.
No obligation
don't have to
We use don’t have to to show that there is no obligation. You can do something if you want to but it's not compulsory.
You don't have to wear a tie in our office but some people like to dress more formally.
You don't have to go to the bank to do a transfer. You can do it online.
You don't have to come with me, honestly. I'll be fine!
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
I have a question about "Could I"
Could I help you?
Could I get you another drink?
Is it OK to use could in questions to form polite offers?
Thank you so much for your time.
Hello Rasha Assem,
It's fine to use 'could' in such requests, both about yourself (Could I...) and another person (Could you...). I think 'could' is more common with 'you' and 'can' is more common with 'I' but both are acceptable.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Is there any difference in the use of
Do you have to ...?
Must you ......?
Thanks
Hello Khaled.,
This point is addressed above:
However, we tend to prefer have to when forming questions. Questions with must often sound very formal and a little old-fashioned.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear teacher, can we use “don’t ban” or doesn’t ban”? Because I can’t find any information about the negative form of the verb “ban”.
Maybe does it mean prohibit so we can’t have the negative form?
Many thanks.
Hello KatherineThu,
It's perfectly fine to use a negative form with the verb ban or prohibit. For example:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
Regarding verbs of obligation, could you please explain the difference between 'to have to' and 'to need to'?
Thank you
Hello User_1,
Both forms describe an obligation. The difference between them is very subtle and in many contexts both are possible.
Have to is more common when the obligation is external and comes from some kind of rule, regulation or expectation. Need to is more common when an action is necessary in order to achieve some other goal. However, as I said, in many contexts the speaker can choose freely between them as it's really a question of how the speaker sees the situation rather than any objective, factual distinction.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
Thanks for your explanation.