TERMIUM Plus®

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MODAL AUXILIARY [1 record]

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Record 1 1979-10-05

English

Subject field(s)
  • Grammar
DEF

a verb or a grammatical form resembling a verb that is characteristically used with a verb of predication and expresses a modal modification (as can, shall, will, must, might, ought, could, should, would, may, need, dare) and that in English differs formally from other verbs in lacking -s, -ing, and past-tense forms and shares with other auxiliaries the affixing of negative -n't.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Grammaire
CONT

A côté des auxiliaires principaux avoir et être, qui sont toujours auxiliaire de temps, il faut mentionner certains verbes, appelés parfois semi-auxiliaires, qui, construits avec un infinitif, servent à exprimer diverses nuances de temps, ou de mode, ou d'aspect, et sont donc tantôt auxiliaires de temps, tantôt auxiliaires de mode, tantôt auxiliaires d'aspect.

Spanish

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