A2 · Élémentaire Chapitre 26

Modal Verb Nuances

1 Règles totales
10 exemples
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of expressing necessity and ability in Russian with confidence.

  • Conjugate the verb 'мочь' to express capability.
  • Apply the short-form adjective 'должен' to indicate obligation.
  • Combine modal verbs with infinitive verbs to form complete thoughts.
Speak with intention: Can, must, and beyond.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Using modal verbs like 'mogu', 'dolzhen', 'khotet'. Expressing ability and obligation.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Express personal ability and social obligations in simple everyday Russian.

Exemples clés (2)

1

Я не могу это развидеть.

I can't unsee this.

Verbes Modaux Russes : Pouvoir et Devoir (Мочь, Должен)
2

Ты должен посмотреть этот сериал на Netflix!

You must watch this series on Netflix!

Verbes Modaux Russes : Pouvoir et Devoir (Мочь, Должен)

Conseils et astuces (1)

⚠️

The Infinitive Trap

Always keep the main verb in the infinitive. Never say 'я могу читаю'. It must be 'я могу читать'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbes Modaux Russes : Pouvoir et Devoir (Мочь, Должен)

Vocabulaire clé (5)

мочь to be able to должен must / ought to хотеть to want работать to work идти to go

Real-World Preview

briefcase

At the Office

Review Summary

  • Subject + Modal (могу/должен) + Infinitive

Erreurs courantes

While 'должен' works for duty, 'нужно' is more natural for general necessity or errands.

Wrong: Я должен идти в магазин завтра.
Correct: Мне нужно идти в магазин завтра.

Never use the infinitive 'мочь' after a subject; always conjugate it to 'может'.

Wrong: Он мочь работать.
Correct: Он может работать.

Adjectives like 'должен' must agree with the gender of the subject. Use 'должна' for feminine subjects.

Wrong: Она должен учиться.
Correct: Она должна учиться.

Next Steps

You are doing fantastic! Keep building those sentences one step at a time.

Write 5 sentences about your daily chores using 'должен'.

Continue to: Relative Clauses

Pratique rapide (3)

Find and fix the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Мы может купить билеты.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Мы можем купить билеты.
The 'мы' form of 'мочь' is 'можем'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbes Modaux Russes : Pouvoir et Devoir (Мочь, Должен)

Choose the correct sentence for a woman speaking.

How should a woman say 'I must go'?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Я должна идти.
'Должен' is a short adjective and must agree with the feminine subject 'я' (she).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbes Modaux Russes : Pouvoir et Devoir (Мочь, Должен)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'мочь'.

Я ___ (can) прийти завтра.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: могу
The 'я' form of 'мочь' is 'могу' (I can).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbes Modaux Russes : Pouvoir et Devoir (Мочь, Должен)

Score: /3

Questions fréquentes (2)

'Уметь' is for learned skills (like playing piano), while 'мочь' is for physical possibility or opportunity. For example, you 'умеешь' swim, but you 'можешь' swim today because the pool is open.
It is slightly irregular: 'мог' (m), 'могла' (f), 'могло' (n), 'могли' (pl). For example: 'Я не мог спать' (I couldn't sleep).
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Genitive Case Mastery
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Relative Clauses
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