The Complete Guide to Active Modal Verbs in English

Introduction

Modal verbs (रूपात्मक क्रियाएँ) are special helping verbs that express ability, permission, necessity, and possibility. Unlike regular verbs, they don’t change form and are always followed by a base verb (बिना ‘to’ के मूल क्रिया).

This guide covers:
All active modal verbs with examples
Hindi translations for better understanding
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Practice exercises to test your knowledge

1. Basic Modal Verbs (मूल रूपात्मक क्रियाएँ)

Modal Verb	Meaning	Example (English)	Example (Hindi)
Can	सकना (क्षमता)	She can swim.	वह तैर सकती है।
Could	सकना (भूतकाल/नम्रता)	He could run fast.	वह तेज़ दौड़ सकता था।
May	सकना (अनुमति/संभावना)	May I come in?	क्या मैं अंदर आ सकता हूँ?
Might	शायद (कम संभावना)	It might rain.	शायद बारिश हो।
Shall	गा/गे/गी (भविष्य/सुझाव)	Shall we go?	क्या हम चलें?
Should	चाहिए (सलाह)	You should study.	तुम्हें पढ़ना चाहिए।
Will	गा/गे/गी (भविष्य)	I will help you.	मैं तुम्हारी मदद करूँगा।
Would	ता/ते/ती (भूतकाल/नम्रता)	Would you like tea?	क्या आप चाय पियेंगे?
Must	ही होगा (अनिवार्यता)	You must obey.	तुम्हें मानना ही होगा।
Ought to	चाहिए (moral duty)	We ought to help.	हमें मदद करनी चाहिए।

2. Semi-Modals & Expanded Forms (अर्ध-रूपात्मक क्रियाएँ)

Modal	Meaning	Example	Hindi Meaning
Need to	आवश्यकता	I need to go.	मुझे जाना ज़रूरी है।
Dare to	हिम्मत करना	She dared to protest.	उसने विरोध करने की हिम्मत की।
Used to	अतीत की आदत	He used to smoke.	वह धूम्रपान करता था।
Have to	मजबूरी	We have to leave.	हमें जाना पड़ेगा।
Be able to	सक्षम होना	She is able to sing.	वह गा पाती है।

3. Past Probability (भूतकाल की संभावना)

Modal	Usage	Example	Hindi Meaning
Could have	संभावना थी (पर नहीं हुआ)	You could have won.	तुम जीत सकते थे।
Would have	कल्पना (असंभव past)	I would have called.	मैं ज़रूर फोन करता।
Should have	करना चाहिए था (पर नहीं किया)	You should have apologized.	तुम्हें माफ़ी माँगनी चाहिए थी।
Might have	शायद हुआ हो	She might have left.	शायद वह चली गई हो।
Must have	निश्चित हुआ हो	He must have forgotten.	उसे भूल गया होगा।

4. Negative Modals (नकारात्मक रूप)

Modal	Example	Hindi Meaning
Can’t have	He can’t have lied.	वह झूठ नहीं बोल सकता।
Shouldn’t have	You shouldn’t have gone.	तुम्हें नहीं जाना चाहिए था।
Mustn’t	You mustn’t smoke here.	यहाँ धूम्रपान मत करो।
Needn’t have	You needn’t have worried.	तुम्हें चिंता करने की ज़रूरत नहीं थी।

5. Advanced Modals (उन्नत प्रयोग)

Modal	Meaning	Example
Be supposed to	अपेक्षा होना	You’re supposed to arrive early.
Had better	बेहतर होगा	You had better hurry.
Be going to	निश्चित योजना	It’s going to rain.
Be likely to	संभावना	She’s likely to agree.

6. Common Mistakes (सामान्य ग़लतियाँ)

Wrong: She can to swim.
Correct: She can swim. (Modal के बाद ‘to’ नहीं आता)

Wrong: He must finishes his work.
Correct: He must finish his work. (Modal के बाद base verb आता है)

Wrong: They should to come.
Correct: They should come.

7. Practice Exercises (अभ्यास)

A. Translate to Hindi:

1. You must be careful. →
2. She might call tomorrow. →
3. We ought to respect elders. →

B. Fill in the Blanks:

1. You _____ (should/must) apologize.
2. She _____ (can/may) speak French.
3. They _____ (mustn’t/needn’t) make noise.

Answers:

A.

1. आपको सावधान रहना चाहिए।
2. वह कल फोन कर सकती है।
3. हमें बड़ों का सम्मान करना चाहिए।

B.

1. should
2. can
3. mustn’t

Conclusion

Active modal verbs help express ability, necessity, permission, and probability clearly. Remember:
No ‘to’ after modals (except ought to).
Use base verb (e.g., go, eat, write).
Negative forms change meaning (e.g., mustn’t vs. needn’t).

अभ्यास करते रहें! (Keep practicing!)

Got questions? Ask in the comments!