Kada koristimo modalne glagole u prošlosti, onda nam treba sledeća

formula: Modalni glagol + have + V-ed/III kolonaI. Modalni glagoli "can, will,
shall, may" već imaju svoje odgovarajuće oblike u prošlosti, a to su "could,
would, should i might". Glagol "must", koji u prošlosti postaje "had to".
Obligation You must / have to You had to stop.
stop when the traffic lights
are red.
Advice You should see a doctor. You should have seen a
doctor.
Prohibition You mustn't smoke here. You mustn't have
smoked there.
Ability I can run fast. I could run fast. Now I am
old.
Certainty He has a Rolls Royce. He must have been very rich.
He must be very rich. He had a big house and an
He can't be American. His expensive car.
English is terrible. He can't have written that
poem. He was illiterate.
Permission Can I go out? She could drive her father's
car when she was only 15.
Possiblilty It may / can / could / might I guess it strong>may / can /
rain. It's cloudy. could / might have been Lacy
on the phone.
Lack of You don't have to / needn't You didn't have to / didn't
necessity buy any tomatoes. There are need to buy tomatoes.
plenty in the fridge
Possiblilty It may / can / could / might I guess it strong>may / can /
rain. It's cloudy. could / might have been Lacy
on the phone
"Should have", "could have", "would have" opisuju situacije iz prošlosti koje
zamišljamo da su mogle biti drugačije. Razlika je u tome da se "should"
koristi za savete I predloge, "could" za mogućnosti a "would" za iskazivanje
želja, samo se u ovom slučaju primenjuju u prošlosti.