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How to translate modals like can, should, and must into French
Modal verbs, also called modal auxiliaries or simply modals, are unconjugated English verbs which express the mood of a
verb, such as ability, possibility, condition, and necessity. With the exception of "ought," modals are followed directly by
the verb they modify (without "to"). There are ten common English modal verbs:
can
could
may
might
must
ought to
shall
should
will
would
French does not have modal verbs, which can make it difficult to translate them. The French equivalents of modal verbs
may be a conjugatable verb (e.g., pouvoir), or a tense, mood, or adverb. Note that "could" and "would" can be used in the
present and past, with varied meanings.