A
modal verb (also 'modal', 'modal auxiliary verb', 'modal auxiliary') is a type of
verb that is used to indicate
modality – that is, likelihood, ability, permission, and obligation. Examples include the English verbs
can/
could,
may/
might,
must,
will/
would, and
shall/
should. In English and other
Germanic languages, modal verbs are often distinguished as a class based on certain grammatical properties.