Spanish modal verbs

Verb tenses in Spanish are one of the most difficult exercises for Spanish students due to their complexity, but they are one of the fundamental aspects of the language. That's why at don Quijote we believe it's essential that you also learn modal verbs in Spanish, which you're sure to recognize in English and which are also essential in Spanish.

If you are just beginning your journey in the language and need a little help with Spanish verb conjugation or verb types, here are some related articles that may be useful:

• Spanish infinitive
• Spanish imperatives
• Spanish subjunctive
• Spanish conditional
• Spanish reflexive verbs
• Irregular verbs in Spanish
• Spanish transitive and intransitive verbs
• How to conjugate verbs in Spanish

What are modal verbs in Spanish?

Spanish modal verbs are auxiliary verbs in Spanish that accompany other verbs in the infinitive to express the speaker's attitude or mood. Therefore, a Spanish modal verb modifies the meaning of the main verb and can express obligation, willingness, knowledge, permission, possibility, probability, or reiteration.

In Spanish, there are five Spanish modal verbs: deber, querer, saber, poder, and soler. These verbs express the speaker's attitude towards an action, and they can all take on a different meaning depending on whether they are used in an affirmative or negative tone.

Additionally, some of these modal verbs in Spanish can be found as verbal periphrases. Some of these periphrases are: “deber de,” “tener que,” or “haber que”.

On the other hand, in Spanish there are other verbs that are used as modals and are also followed by an infinitive. These verbs express intention, desire, or will, and the most common ones are: intentar, desear, pensar, procurar, esperar, and preferir.

But in this article, we will teach you the five most common modal verbs in Spanish that will be useful in any situation. Remember that you can also read this article in Spanish, German, or Portuguese.

Deber

The verb deber is one of the most common modal verbs in Spanish. This verb is used to express obligation, recommendation, or supposition.

As we mentioned earlier, the verb deber also functions as a verbal periphrasis: “deber de.” This periphrasis expresses deduction and can be positive or negative.

Some examples of the verb deber as a modal and periphrasis are:

• Debes estudiar más para aprobar el último examen del curso (You must study more to pass the last exam of the course)
• Tu primo debe hacer los deberes antes de cenar (Your cousin must do his homework before dinner)
• Todos debemos respetar las normas del estadio (We all must respect the stadium rules)
• Deberían llegar temprano al trabajo todos los días (You should arrive early to work every day)
• El profesor debe de haber olvidado el libro en otra clase (The teacher must have forgotten the book in another class)
• Deben de estar en casa para las 12 de la noche (You must be home by midnight)
• Debes de entregar a tiempo el trabajo (You must hand in your work on time)

Querer

The second modal verb in Spanish is querer, which is used to express desire, intention, or willingness. Some examples are:

• Quiero aprender a tocar el piano este año (I want to learn to play the piano this year)
• Mi hermana quiere viajar a Francia el próximo verano (My sister wants to travel to France next summer)
• ¿Quieres venir conmigo al cine mañana? (Do you want to come with me to the movies tomorrow?)
• Ellos quieren mejorar su español antes del examen (They want to improve their Spanish before the exam)
• Siempre he querido conocer Japón (I've always wanted to visit Japan)
• ¿Sabías que tu amigo quiere montar un negocio propio? (Did you know that your friend wants to start his own business?)

Saber

The verb saber is used to express knowledge, skill, or ability, and is one of the most used verbs in Spanish, especially when asking questions. For example:

• Sé nadar muy bien (I know how to swim very well)
• No sabes cocinar, ¿verdad? (You don't know how to cook, do you?)
• Ella sabe hablar tres idiomas (She knows how to speak three languages)
• Sabemos resolver este tipo de problemas en equipo (We know how to solve these kinds of problems as a team)
• ¿Sabías tocar el piano cuando eras niño? (Did you know how to play the piano when you were a child?)
• Ellos saben conducir cualquier tipo de vehículo (They know how to drive any kind of vehicle)

Poder

The verb poder is used to indicate ability, possibility, or permission to perform an action. These examples may help you understand it:

• Puedo ayudarte con los deberes de matemáticas esta tarde (I can help you with your math homework this afternoon)
• No puedes salir sin tu chaqueta; hace mucho frío (You can't go out without your jacket; it's very cold)
• ¿Pueden terminar el proyecto antes del viernes? (Can you finish the project before Friday?)
• No pude asistir a la reunión ayer por una cita médica (I couldn't attend the meeting yesterday because of a doctor's appointment)
• ¿Podrías decirme la hora, por favor? (Could you tell me the time, please?)
• Podemos viajar a la playa este fin de semana (We can go to the beach this weekend)

Soler

The verb soler in Spanish is commonly used to express daily customs or habits. Some examples are:

• Suelo levantarme a las 8h todos los días (I usually get up at 8 a.m. every day)
• Mi abuelo suele contar historias de cuando era joven (My grandfather usually tells stories about when he was young)
• Ellos suelen ir al cine los fines de semana (They usually go to the movies on weekends)
• ¿Sueles comer fuera entre diario? (Do you usually eat out during the week?)
• Cuando era niño, solía jugar en el parque con mis amigos (When I was a child, I used to play in the park with my friends)
• Solemos viajar todos los años a la playa en verano (We usually travel to the beach every year in the summer)

Exercises with Spanish modal verbs

Once you have understood what modal verbs in Spanish are and how they work, here are some exercises for you to complete by filling in the gaps with the appropriate verb: poder, deber, querer, saber, soler, or tener que. Good luck! You will find the correct answers to the exercises at the end of the article.

1. Yo no ___ ir al cine esta noche porque ya tenía una cita
2. Tú ___ estudiar más si quieres aprobar el examen
3. Ellos ___ hablar inglés muy bien
4. Nosotros ___ levantarnos temprano los fines de semana
5. María ___ viajar a Francia el próximo verano
6. ¿Vosotros ___ terminar el proyecto antes del próximo mes?
7. Mi hermano ___ tocar la guitarra desde niño
8. Ellos ___ cumplir con las reglas de la empresa
9. ¿Tú ___ ayudarme con esta tarea, por favor?
10. Cuando era niña, yo ___ jugar en el parque todas las tardes
11. Tú ___ pedir permiso antes de salir de clase
12. Nosotros ___ aprender a conducir un coche manual
13. Ellas ___ desayunar siempre a las nueve de la mañana
14. Yo ___ descansar un poco después de la caminata
15. Vosotros ___ entregar los documentos antes de la fecha límite

As you have seen, all these modal verbs in Spanish are essential if you want to construct complex sentences and convey precise ideas. That's why it's necessary to practice and put everything you've learned to the test, so you can improve your language skills in no time. To do so, you can sign up for one of our intensive Spanish courses and experience Spanish culture firsthand in one of the 11 cities in Spain where don Quijote has schools.

We look forward to seeing you! Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Answers: puedo, debes, saben, solemos, quiere, podríais, sabe, deben, puedes, solía, debes, sabemos, suelen, quiero, tenéis que.