Modal verbs in Spanish
Online language lessons with native teachers
Skype teachers
Free trial lesson
Flexible appointments
Modal verbs in Spanish
Modal verbs in Spanish are used together with the infinitive of a verb. They "modify" the statement of the full verb in the sentences to express a possibility, necessity, ability, obligation or permission. The following verbs are the most important modal verbs in Spanish:
- poder (can)
- saber (to know)
- querer (to want to)
- deber (must)
- soler (to do something usually)
- tener que (to have to)
Lesson Outline
HidePoder (can)
The spanish verb "poder" expresses a possibility:
- ¿Puedes ayudarme? - Can you help me?
- ¿Puedes venir a la reunión? - Can you come to the meeting?
- Hoy no puedo ir al trabajo. - Today I can not come to work.
Saber (to know)
As a modal verb "saber" describes an ability:
- Mi hija todavía no sabe nadar. - My daughter still does not know how to swim.
- Sé tocar el piano. - I know how to play the piano.
- Los estudiantes no saben hablar francés. - The studens don't know how to speak French.
Querer (to want)
With "querer" you can express a possibility:
- Quiero hacer una fiesta. - I want to have a party.
- Queremos viajar a Tenerife. - We want to travel to Tenerife.
- El perro no quiere comer. - The dog doesn't want to eat.
Deber (must)
The modal verb "deber" is used to describe obligations:
- Debes ponerte botas. - You must wear boots.
- Los niños deben dormir temprano. - The children must sleep early.
- Debes trabajar más. - You must work more.
Soler (to do something usually)
"Soler" is used to express regularities:
- Suelo estudiar por la tarde. - I usually study in the afternoon.
- Jorge y Laura no suelen ir a ese restaurante. - Jorge and Laura usually do not go to that restaurant.
- Toda la familia suele comer junta los domingos. - The whole family usually eats together on Sundays.
Tener que (to have to)
With "tener que" you can describe obligations:
- Tengo que estudiar mucho para el examen. - I have to study very much for the exam.
- Tienes que decir algo. - You have to say something.
- No tienen que caminar a la casa. - They don't have to walk to the house.
In this lesson you got to know the most important modal verbs in Spanish. Test your knowledge now in our free exercises. Good luck!
Exercises
Practice the use of modal verbs in Spanish
Drag in the correct modal verb
Practise with a private teacher on Skype!
4.9/5 from 1 reviews
- Private Skype lessons
- Learn any topic
- Flexible appointments
I speak: English, Spanish I teach: Spanish
Hello, Spanish learner! I am Isabel, your Spanish teacher. I am a professional online Spanish teacher for 3 years. I am a native speaker from... Colombia. My lessons are completely in Spanish because I want you to speak as much as possible. During my lessons, we will focus on conversation and pronunciation. But a typical lesson also contains a vocabulary topic and a grammar topic. I will focus on your needs and your mistakes to improve your Spanish as quickly as possible. In the first lesson, we will do a level test to check your current level (CEFR A1, A2, B1, B2, C1) If you would like to improve your Spanish, learn more about the South American culture, gastronomy and traditions, I am your teacher! Or if you just want to talk in Spanish, about any subject you like, I would be happy to meet you online. Send me a message and I will provide you a 30-minute free trial lesson! See you online on Skype. Your Spanish teacher, Isabel Read more
Availability: Monday (7-23h), Tuesday (7-23h), Wednesday (7-23h), Thursday (7-23h), Friday (7-23h), Saturday (7-23h), Sunday (7-23h).
Timezone: Europe/Berlin (GMT+2)
See in your timezone.
12.00€ / h
Response time: 54.15 minutes
I speak: Bosnian, Croatian, English, Italian, Portuguese, International, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish I teach: Bosnian, Croatian, English, Italian, Portuguese, International, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish
Me as a Teacher I am a Serbian native speaker and a language teacher. I have been teaching online for 5 years. I live in Belgrade. I've been... teaching online for 5 years (officially). I love teaching because it's a dynamic and an interesting job. You can teach your students and you can learn from them as well. The happiness and joy of the student + their progresses with their target language = my biggest prize (so my students are the ones who motivate me to work better)and I try to combine: a bit of reading, a bit of writing, a bit of conversation, a bit of grammar and a bit of listening by using different resources. About Me My favorite topics are: 1. Travelling , 2. Foreign languages, 3. TV programs, 4. Films and TV series, 5. Culture, 6. sport, 7. IT, 8. Science My hobbies are: learning foreign languages, horse- riding, reading, travelling, ... I am open-minded, flexible and very positive. If you come up with something interesting to talk about, please, don't hesitate to suggest me and I'll gladly discuss with you about that. I visited: Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia. My Lessons & Teaching Style Firstly, I test the level of the target language... I have two parts: 1) Conversational part (here I check their vocabulary and their fluency + I find out their language goals and their needs) 2) Writing part (with that I focus much more on grammar and spelling) For each part, I take notes (I have my notebook for that). Secondly, I personalize my lessons to their goals and needs. I can cover a lot of topics: business, travelling, culture, etc. My Teaching Material Text Documents Audio Recordings Images and Visuals Video News Articles and Magazines Quizzes Example Test Templates Graphs and Charts Homework Assignments PowerPoint Presentations Read more
Availability: Monday (7-23h), Tuesday (7-23h), Wednesday (7-23h), Thursday (7-23h), Friday (7-23h), Saturday (7-23h), Sunday (7-23h).
Timezone: Europe/Belgrade (GMT+2)
See in your timezone.
12.00€ / h
Response time: less than a few hours
I speak: German, Spanish, Dutch, English I teach: Spanish, Dutch
Hi, I'm Adriaan. I have been teaching Dutch and Spanish for seven years to students of all levels, from absolute beginners to... students who only need conversation. My students are of all ages, from 9 to 76 years old and from all continents. With each student I create a Google doc in which I put all the grammatical information, exercises and homework after each class. I can help you if you want to learn the language for fun, for work, or to prepare for an exam. Languages are my passion! See you soon! Read more
Availability: Monday (8-13h), Tuesday (8-13h), Wednesday (8-13h), Thursday (8-13h), Friday (8-13h), Saturday (8-13h).
Timezone: Europe/London (GMT+1)
See in your timezone.
25.00€ / h
Response time: less than a few hours