Modal verbs and impersonal phrases
Deber, poder, querer, tener que and saber with an infinitive, quisiera and me gustaría, and hay, hay que, se puede and hace for the weather.
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Modal verbs and impersonal phrases, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Use a modal verb with an infinitive
Only the first verb changes for the person, and the second stays in the infinitive: Puedo salir, Queremos comer. Poder changes o to ue (puedo, puedes) and querer changes e to ie (quiero, quieres), except for we and you all.
Say what you must or have to do with deber and tener que
Deber means must or should: Debes llamar a tu abuela. Tener que means to have to, and the que is never left out: Tengo que hacer los deberes, Tenemos que llevar uniforme.
Use saber for what you know how to do
Saber with an infinitive means to know how to, so it gives skills: Sé nadar (I can swim), ¿Sabes conducir? Poder means able or allowed at a given time: Hoy no puedo nadar.
Ask politely with quisiera and me gustaría
Quisiera and me gustaría both mean I would like, and both take an infinitive: Quisiera reservar una mesa, Me gustaría ir a la playa. Quisiera sounds especially polite, which suits a shop, a hotel or a role-play.
Say there is and you have to with hay and hay que
Hay means there is or there are, and it stays the same for one thing or several: Hay un parque, Hay muchas tiendas. Hay que with an infinitive means one has to, for a general rule: Hay que llegar a tiempo.
Say what you can do or need with se puede and se necesita
Se puede means you can, in general: Se puede nadar en el río, No se puede comer en clase. Se necesita means you need, or is needed: Se necesita dinero para viajar.
Describe the weather with hace
Most weather takes hace and a noun: Hace sol, Hace calor, Hace frío, Hace viento, Hace buen tiempo. Rain has its own verb: Llueve means it rains or it is raining.
Use hace falta, vale la pena, basta and pareceHigher only
Hace falta means it is necessary: Hace falta reciclar más. Vale la pena means it is worth it (Vale la pena visitar Toledo), basta means it is enough (Basta con dos horas al día) and parece means it seems (Parece fácil).
Modal verbs and impersonal phrases key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Modal verb
- A verb used with an infinitive to say what you can, must or want to do: puedo, debo, quiero.
- poder
- To be able to, or to be allowed to: ¿Puedo abrir la ventana? asks if you can open the window.
- deber
- Must or should, with an infinitive: Debemos reciclar means we must recycle.
- tener que
- To have to, with an infinitive: Tienes que venir means you have to come. The que is always there.
- saber with an infinitive
- To know how to, for a skill: Mi hermano sabe conducir means my brother can drive.
- quisiera
- I would like, a polite form of querer used with an infinitive: Quisiera hablar con el director.
- hay que
- One has to, or you have to, as a general rule, always with an infinitive: Hay que llevar uniforme.
- se puede
- You can, or one can, in general: Aquí se puede ver el mar means you can see the sea from here.
- hace faltaHigher only
- It is necessary, or you need: Hace falta más tiempo means more time is needed.
Common mistakes in Modal verbs and impersonal phrases
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Conjugating both verbs, as in Puedo voy or Quiero como.
Only the first verb changes, and the second stays as the infinitive: Puedo ir, Quiero comer.
Leaving out que after tener, as in Tengo estudiar.
To have to is always tener que with an infinitive: Tengo que estudiar. Without que, tengo just means I have.
Using poder for a skill, as in Puedo nadar to mean I can swim.
For a skill, Spanish uses saber: Sé nadar. Puedo nadar means I am able or allowed to swim, perhaps just today.
Writing Hace lluvia for it is raining.
Rain has a verb of its own: Llueve, or Está lloviendo for right now. Hace goes with sol, calor, frío, viento and buen tiempo.
Dropping the stem change, as in podo or quero.
Both verbs change their stem in the present: puedo, puede and quiero, quiere. Only we and you all stay regular: podemos, queréis.
Practice
Try a Modal verbs and impersonal phrases question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which sentence means "I know how to ride a bike, but today I can't because it's raining"?
- Sé montar en bici, pero hoy no puedo porque llueve.
- Puedo montar en bici, pero hoy no sé porque llueve.
- Sé montar en bici, pero hoy no sé porque llueve.
- Conozco montar en bici, pero hoy no puedo porque llueve.
Show the answer and the working
Answer: Sé montar en bici, pero hoy no puedo porque llueve.
A skill you have learnt takes saber (sé montar en bici), while being able to do it on the day takes poder (hoy no puedo).
- I know how to ride a bike is a learnt skill: sé montar en bici.
- Today I can't is about the rain stopping you: no puedo.
- So Sé montar en bici, pero hoy no puedo porque llueve.