"modal verb" meaning in English

See modal verb in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: modal verbs [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} modal verb (plural modal verbs)
  1. (grammar) A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood. Wikipedia link: modal verb Categories (topical): Grammar Synonyms: modal, modal auxiliary, modal auxiliary verb Related terms: auxiliary, auxiliary verb, helping verb, semimodal, central modal Translations: verb modal [masculine] (Catalan), 情態動詞 (Chinese Mandarin), 情态动词 (qíngtài dòngcí) (Chinese Mandarin), modální sloveso [neuter] (Czech), způsobové sloveso [neuter] (Czech), modalverbum [neuter] (Danish), mådesudsagnsord [neuter] (Danish), modaal werkwoord [neuter] (Dutch), modaalinen verbi (Finnish), modal [masculine] (French), verbe modal [masculine] (French), Modalverb [neuter] (German), Modalverbum [neuter] (German), modális/módbeliige (segéd) (Hungarian), briathar cúntach [masculine] (Irish), verbo servile [masculine] (Italian), verbo modale [masculine] (Italian), 法動詞 (hōdōshi) (alt: ほうどうし) (Japanese), 法助動詞 (hōjodōshi) (alt: ほうじょどうし) [auxiliary, modal] (Japanese), мо́дален гла́гол (módalen glágol) [masculine] (Macedonian), баймж үйл үг (bajmž üjl üg) [Cyrillic] (Mongolian), хандлага үйл үг (xandlaga üjl üg) [China, Cyrillic] (Mongolian), ᠪᠠᠶᠢᠮᠵᠢ ᠦᠢᠯᠡ ᠦᠭᠡ (bayimǰi üile üge) [Mongolian] (Mongolian), ᠬᠠᠨᠳᠤᠯᠭ᠎ᠠ ᠦᠢᠯᠡ ᠦᠭᠡ (qandulg-a üile üge) [Mongolian] (Mongolian), czasownik modalny [masculine] (Polish), verbo modal [masculine] (Portuguese), мода́льный глаго́л (modálʹnyj glagól) [masculine] (Russian), начински гла̏гол [Cyrillic, masculine] (Serbo-Croatian), модални гла̏гол [Cyrillic, masculine] (Serbo-Croatian), načinski glȁgol [Roman, masculine] (Serbo-Croatian), modalni glȁgol [Roman, masculine] (Serbo-Croatian), modalni glagol [masculine] (Slovene), verbo modal [masculine] (Spanish), modalt hjälpverb [neuter] (Swedish), мода́льне дієсло́во (modálʹne dijeslóvo) [neuter] (Ukrainian)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for modal verb meaning in English (5.6kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "modal verbs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "modal verb (plural modal verbs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
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          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Grammar",
          "orig": "en:Grammar",
          "parents": [
            "Linguistics",
            "Language",
            "Social sciences",
            "Communication",
            "Sciences",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Verbs",
          "orig": "en:Verbs",
          "parents": [
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          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2019, Irina S. Lebedeva, Svetlana N. Orlova, “Semantics and pragmatics of the double modal ‘might could’”, in Training, Language and Culture, volume 3, number 2, →DOI",
          "text": "Although at first glance combinations of two modal verbs might seem to be cases of grammatical distortion, their use is scientifically recognised.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood."
      ],
      "id": "en-modal_verb-en-noun-Etupfzpw",
      "links": [
        [
          "grammar",
          "grammar"
        ],
        [
          "verb",
          "verb"
        ],
        [
          "mood",
          "mood"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(grammar) A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "auxiliary"
        },
        {
          "word": "auxiliary verb"
        },
        {
          "word": "helping verb"
        },
        {
          "word": "semimodal"
        },
        {
          "word": "central modal"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "modal"
        },
        {
          "word": "modal auxiliary"
        },
        {
          "word": "modal auxiliary verb"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "grammar",
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "verb modal"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "word": "情態動詞"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "qíngtài dòngcí",
          "word": "情态动词"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "modální sloveso"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "způsobové sloveso"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "modalverbum"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "mådesudsagnsord"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "modaal werkwoord"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "word": "modaalinen verbi"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "modal"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "verbe modal"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Modalverb"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Modalverbum"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "word": "modális/módbeliige (segéd)"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "briathar cúntach"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "verbo servile"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "verbo modale"
        },
        {
          "alt": "ほうどうし",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "hōdōshi",
          "word": "法動詞"
        },
        {
          "alt": "ほうじょどうし",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "hōjodōshi",
          "tags": [
            "auxiliary",
            "modal"
          ],
          "word": "法助動詞"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "módalen glágol",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "мо́дален гла́гол"
        },
        {
          "code": "mn",
          "lang": "Mongolian",
          "roman": "bajmž üjl üg",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "баймж үйл үг"
        },
        {
          "code": "mn",
          "lang": "Mongolian",
          "roman": "xandlaga üjl üg",
          "tags": [
            "China",
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "хандлага үйл үг"
        },
        {
          "code": "mn",
          "lang": "Mongolian",
          "roman": "bayimǰi üile üge",
          "tags": [
            "Mongolian"
          ],
          "word": "ᠪᠠᠶᠢᠮᠵᠢ ᠦᠢᠯᠡ ᠦᠭᠡ"
        },
        {
          "code": "mn",
          "lang": "Mongolian",
          "roman": "qandulg-a üile üge",
          "tags": [
            "Mongolian"
          ],
          "word": "ᠬᠠᠨᠳᠤᠯᠭ᠎ᠠ ᠦᠢᠯᠡ ᠦᠭᠡ"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "czasownik modalny"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "verbo modal"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "modálʹnyj glagól",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "мода́льный глаго́л"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "начински гла̏гол"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "модални гла̏гол"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "tags": [
            "Roman",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "načinski glȁgol"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "tags": [
            "Roman",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "modalni glȁgol"
        },
        {
          "code": "sl",
          "lang": "Slovene",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "modalni glagol"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "verbo modal"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "modalt hjälpverb"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "modálʹne dijeslóvo",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "мода́льне дієсло́во"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "modal verb"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "modal verb"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "modal verbs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "modal verb (plural modal verbs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "auxiliary"
    },
    {
      "word": "auxiliary verb"
    },
    {
      "word": "helping verb"
    },
    {
      "word": "semimodal"
    },
    {
      "word": "central modal"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "en:Grammar",
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2019, Irina S. Lebedeva, Svetlana N. Orlova, “Semantics and pragmatics of the double modal ‘might could’”, in Training, Language and Culture, volume 3, number 2, →DOI",
          "text": "Although at first glance combinations of two modal verbs might seem to be cases of grammatical distortion, their use is scientifically recognised.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "grammar",
          "grammar"
        ],
        [
          "verb",
          "verb"
        ],
        [
          "mood",
          "mood"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(grammar) A verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "modal"
        },
        {
          "word": "modal auxiliary"
        },
        {
          "word": "modal auxiliary verb"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "grammar",
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "modal verb"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "verb modal"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "word": "情態動詞"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "qíngtài dòngcí",
      "word": "情态动词"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "modální sloveso"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "způsobové sloveso"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "modalverbum"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "mådesudsagnsord"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "modaal werkwoord"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "word": "modaalinen verbi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "modal"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "verbe modal"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Modalverb"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Modalverbum"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "word": "modális/módbeliige (segéd)"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "briathar cúntach"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "verbo servile"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "verbo modale"
    },
    {
      "alt": "ほうどうし",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "hōdōshi",
      "word": "法動詞"
    },
    {
      "alt": "ほうじょどうし",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "hōjodōshi",
      "tags": [
        "auxiliary",
        "modal"
      ],
      "word": "法助動詞"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "módalen glágol",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "мо́дален гла́гол"
    },
    {
      "code": "mn",
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "roman": "bajmž üjl üg",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "баймж үйл үг"
    },
    {
      "code": "mn",
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "roman": "xandlaga üjl üg",
      "tags": [
        "China",
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "хандлага үйл үг"
    },
    {
      "code": "mn",
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "roman": "bayimǰi üile üge",
      "tags": [
        "Mongolian"
      ],
      "word": "ᠪᠠᠶᠢᠮᠵᠢ ᠦᠢᠯᠡ ᠦᠭᠡ"
    },
    {
      "code": "mn",
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "roman": "qandulg-a üile üge",
      "tags": [
        "Mongolian"
      ],
      "word": "ᠬᠠᠨᠳᠤᠯᠭ᠎ᠠ ᠦᠢᠯᠡ ᠦᠭᠡ"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "czasownik modalny"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "verbo modal"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "modálʹnyj glagól",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "мода́льный глаго́л"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "начински гла̏гол"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "модални гла̏гол"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "tags": [
        "Roman",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "načinski glȁgol"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "tags": [
        "Roman",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "modalni glȁgol"
    },
    {
      "code": "sl",
      "lang": "Slovene",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "modalni glagol"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "verbo modal"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "modalt hjälpverb"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "modálʹne dijeslóvo",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "мода́льне дієсло́во"
    }
  ],
  "word": "modal verb"
}
{
  "called_from": "page/2517",
  "msg": "UNIMPLEMENTED parse_translation_template: trans-top-see {1: 'a verb whose primary function is to express grammatical mood', 2: 'modal auxiliary'}",
  "path": [
    "modal verb",
    "trans-top-see"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "noun",
  "title": "modal verb",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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