Guide to Modals for Expressing Permission – TOEIC® Preparation
Flow Exam team
Whether you are requesting, granting, or refusing authorization, modals play a central role in daily exchanges, whether they are professional, academic, or informal. This guide details the main modal auxiliaries (can, could, may) as well as alternative structures such as be allowed to and have the right to, to enable you to select the most appropriate phrasing for every communication context. Mastering these nuances is essential for excelling in TOEIC® Parts 5 and 6.
1. The Main Modal Auxiliaries for Permission
A. “Can”: The Universal Modal for Authorization
Can is the most common and most direct auxiliary for translating permission in English. It is found in both oral exchanges and common writing, with a neutral to informal register.
Here are its main uses:
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Affirmative | You can leave early if you want. (Tu peux partir plus tôt si tu veux.) |
| Interrogative | Can I use your phone, please? (Puis-je utiliser ton téléphone, s'il te plaît ?) |
| Negative | You can't (cannot) park your car here. (Tu ne peux pas garer ta voiture ici.) |
B. “Could”: Past, Polite, or Conditional Permission
Originally, could represents the past tense of can and is therefore used to express permission in the past. Nevertheless, this auxiliary is also used in other situations: to formulate a polite request or to refer to hypothetical permission linked to a condition.
Past Authorization (Past Tense):
- When I was a student, I could stay out as late as I wanted. (Lorsque j'étais étudiant, j'avais le droit de rester dehors aussi tard que je le souhaitais.)
Polite Request (Formal Register):
- Could I leave the meeting a bit earlier? (Pourrais-je quitter la réunion un peu plus tôt ?)
- Could you help me with this task, please? (Pourriez-vous m'assister sur cette tâche, s'il vous plaît ?)
In this scenario, although the request uses could, the natural response uses can or common expressions of permission.
Conditional Permission (Hypothetical Context)
Could is frequently used to express permission that would be granted in a specific situation but is not yet effective. This introduces a conditional dimension.
- You could take a day off if your manager approves it. (Tu pourrais prendre un jour de congé si ton responsable l'approuve.)
- If we finish the project early, we could leave work at 3 PM. (Si nous terminons le projet en avance, nous pourrions quitter le travail à 15 h.)
Here, could does not directly grant permission but suggests that it would be envisageable under certain conditions.
To delve deeper into the conditional, consult our dedicated guide
C. “May”: The Modal for Formal Permission
May is the most formal modal for expressing authorization. It therefore appears in professional, academic contexts or in situations requiring a high level of courtesy.
Generally, may remains infrequent in informal spoken exchanges, but it remains highly relevant in a structured professional setting, such as during an interview or a conversation with a superior.
Here are its variations:
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Affirmative | You may start the test now. (Vous pouvez commencer le test maintenant.) |
| Interrogative | May I come in? (Puis-je entrer ?) |
| Negative | You may not leave the office without permission. (Vous n'êtes pas autorisé à quitter le bureau sans autorisation.) |
May vs Might: A Subtle Nuance
Although might is primarily associated with probability rather than permission, it can sometimes be used for an extremely polite and especially hypothetical request. However, this remains rare in direct exchanges.
- Might I ask for a moment of your time? (Me serait-il possible de solliciter un instant de votre temps ?)
This phrasing belongs to a literary or very formal register, and is uncommon in standard professional language.
2. Alternative Constructions for Expressing Permission
A. “Be allowed to”: Expressing Explicit Permission
Be allowed to generally translates to “to have authorization to” or “to be authorized to.” This construction is very frequently used in writing and allows permission to be expressed more explicitly, especially when referring to rules, regulations, or formal situations.
The expression be allowed to is conjugated in all tenses (was allowed to, will be allowed to, have been allowed to, etc.), which makes it very practical for situating permission in the past, present, or future.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Affirmative | I am allowed to take a day off every month. (J'ai l'autorisation de prendre un jour de congé chaque mois.) |
| Interrogative | Are we allowed to bring our own devices to the training session? (Sommes-nous autorisés à apporter nos propres appareils à la session de formation ?) |
| Negative | They are not allowed to leave the country without a visa. (Ils n'ont pas le droit de quitter le pays sans visa.) |
B. “Have the right to” / “Have permission to”: Legal or Institutional Permission
Although less frequent in everyday language, these expressions also allow permission to be expressed, often in a legal, contractual, or institutional context.
- Employees have the right to request a pay raise. (Les employés ont le droit de demander une augmentation salariale.)
- She has permission to film in this location. (Elle dispose de l'autorisation de filmer dans cet endroit.)
These phrases emphasize the official or regulatory nature of the granted permission.
3. Comparative Table of Structures by Register
| Register | Recommended Structures | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday language (informal) | Can, Can't | Can you open the window? (Peux-tu ouvrir la fenêtre ?) You can take a break if you want. (Tu peux faire une pause si tu veux.) |
| Polite / Formal language | Could, May | Could you please forward me the email? (Pourriez-vous me transférer l'e-mail ?) May I ask a question? (Puis-je poser une question ?) |
| Emphasis on legality or formality | Be allowed to, Have the right to, Have permission to | Are we allowed to park here? (Sommes-nous autorisés à nous garer ici ?) You have the right to remain silent. (Vous avez le droit de garder le silence.) |
Additional Resources on Modals
To deepen your mastery of modal auxiliaries, consult our various thematic guides:
- 🔗 Overview of Modals for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Ability for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Obligation for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Prohibition for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Lack of Obligation for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Advice for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Suggestions and Proposals for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Intention or Near Future for the TOEIC®
- 🔗 Guide to Expressing Probability and Uncertainty for the TOEIC®
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