Not all modals are used in all tenses or moods. The most common uses are in the present or preterite/imperfect and s . We’ll explore the relevant ones in the following sections.
Spanish modal verbs: When and how to use them?
By: Natalia Molina Ceballos Thu Sep 18 2025
SpanishVerbs
Modal verbs are helping verbs, like “should,” “could,” and “would,” that work in combination with another verb to express desire, obligation, to give advice or permission, or to talk about abilities. The most common ones in Spanish are deber ("must, should"), poder ("can") and querer ("want"), but there are a few more that are very useful: saber ("to know"), soler ("to be accustomed to"), deber de ("must"), tener que ("to have to"), and necesitar ("to need").
Keep reading to learn how to use them!
How to use modal verbs in Spanish?
The use of modal verbs is pretty straightforward in Spanish, as they’re followed by a main verb in the form. For instance:
modalmain verb
Quiero comer.
I want to eat.
Unlike the English “should,” “could,” and “would,” modal verbs in Spanish are : depending on the (past, present, future) or (indicative, subjunctive, conditional) you use, they can have different meanings.
Important
Furthermore, some modals in the negative can also change the meaning of the main verb.
No quise comer.
I refused to eat.
Notice that in English the negative word is placed after the modal or (often in a contraction: shouldn’t, couldn’t, etc.). In Spanish, however, the negative no is always placed before the modal.
No debes hablar.
You should not speak.
Important
When using , or with modal verbs, you have two options for the position of the pronoun: before the modal or attached to the .
Me debiste llamar. OR Debiste llamarme.
You should have called me.
Next we’ll see how to use each modal.
How to use 'deber'?
Depending on how it’s used, deber can mean "must," "ought to," or "should" in English, and it's used to express obligation or advice.
Affirmative
Obligation
Use deber in the simple present to express obligation. In this case, it’s close in meaning to “must” in English:
Debes respetar las reglas de la clase.You must respect the rules of the class.Advice
It is also possible to use it in the Spanish conditional simple to give friendly advice. This is similar to “should” or “ought to”:
Debes respetar las reglas de la clase.You must respect the rules of the class.When giving advice that refers to the recent or remote past, use the preterite form of the verb deber:
Debiste estudiar más para el examen.You should have studied more for the test.
Deber can also be used with the de but, in that case, it expresses something different. We’ll cover that below, so stick around!
Negative
If you use the verb deber in the negative form, the meaning changes. In this case, it’s used to say that something is not convenient, not recommended, or reproachable:
No debes comer antes de ir a la piscina.
You shouldn’t eat before you go to the pool.
No debes comer antes de ir a la piscina.
You shouldn’t speak badly of your friends.
No debiste olvidar la tarea.
You shouldn’t have forgotten your homework.
How to use 'poder'?
Poder ("can/to be able") can be used to express permission, requests, ability, possibility, or speculation.
Affirmative
Permission
Use poder in the present as an equivalent of “may” to ask for permission in a polite way:
¿Puedo entrar a su clase, profesora?May I enter your class, professor?Polite requests
Poder is also useful in the to ask for something politely. In this case, it’s close in meaning to “could”:
¿Me podría traer la cuenta?Could you bring me the bill?Ability
Use poder to talk about abilities and skills:
Emiliano puede hablar 5 idiomas.Emiliano can speak 5 languages.Possibility
In this case, poder is very similar to the verbs “may” and “could” in English. You can use the imperfect or the conditional:
Podías / podrías haber salido temprano.You could have left early.To express a remote possibility, use poder in the conditional form. In this sense, it’s more similar to “might” or “could” in English:
Si todo sale bien, yo podría viajar a España en dos meses.
If everything goes well, I might/could travel to Spain in two months.
Important
Use the phrase puede ser que ("could be") to express probability together with the present subjunctive.
Puede ser que llueva mañana.It could rain tomorrow.→ To express disbelief use the phrase:
¡No puede ser!It can’t be!Speculation
To speculate about something just like with English “could,” you can use poder in the present or the conditional mood:
Puede / podría ser mi hermano.
It could be my brother.
Negative
If you use the verb poder in the negative form, you’re expressing prohibition, lack of permission, or lack of ability:
Los estudiantes no pueden entrar tarde a la clase.
Students can’t enter the class late.
Mi amigo no puede montar en bicicleta.
My friend can’t ride a bike.
In the preterite, the negative form expresses an unsuccessful attempt at doing something:
No pude abrir la puerta.
I wasn’t able to open the door.
How to use ‘querer’?
Use querer ("to want") as a modal to express will, invitations, and attempts.
Affirmative
Will/Desires
Use querer ("to want") as a modal verb to indicate will.
Queremos viajar por todo el mundo.We want to travel the world.Querer used in the imperfect subjunctive expresses wishes:
Ana y Carlos quisieran estar en la playa ahora mismo.
Ana and Carlos wish they were on the beach right now.
Tip
The imperfect subjunctive of querer can also translate to “would like” and it can be used for polite inquiries:
Disculpe señor, quisiera preguntarle algo.
Excuse me sir, I would like to ask you something.
Invitations
Querer is often used in questions to make invitations:
¿Quieres ir al parque conmigo?Do you want to go to the park with me?Attempt
Depending on the context, querer in the preterite can mean that you tried to do something but failed at it:
¿Quise levantarme temprano.I tried to get up early.
Negative
In the negative form, no querer indicates lack of will:
No quiero trabajar tan temprano.
I don’t want to work so early.
And in the negative preterite it indicates that you refused to do something:
No quise levantarme temprano.
I refused to wake up early.
Other modal verbs in Spanish
As I told you in the introduction, deber, poder, querer are the most common modal verbs in Spanish, but there are more that are also very useful. If you want to learn about them, keep reading!
How to use ‘saber’?
The verb saber ("to know") introduces knowledge or ability. If you use it in the negative form, it means lack of knowledge or ability. Use it when you want to say you know how to perform a skill:
Mi profesora sabe hablar japonés.
My teacher can (knows how to) speak Japanese.
No quiero trabajar tan temprano.
They can’t (don’t know how to) paint in watercolor.
How to use ‘soler’?
The verb soler is used in Spanish to indicate a habit or lack of habit. My students often ask me for the English equivalent. The closest verbs I’ve found to mean soler in English are: “to be accustomed to,” “to tend to,” or “to be used to.”
Yo suelo tomar café con leche por las mañanas.
I tend to have coffee and milk in the mornings.
No suelo hacer ejercicio.
I don’t tend to work out.
Important
The verb soler isn’t usually used in every single tense in Spanish. It’s most commonly used in the present or imperfect. On rare occasions, it can be used in the present and imperfect subjunctive:
Simple present:
Solemos caminar por el parque.
We tend to walk around the park.
Imperfect:
Cuando era niña, solía ir al parque.
When I was a child, I used to go to the park.
Tip: to talk about past habits you need a verb in the imperfect: Todos los veranos, pasábamos una semana en la playa. ("Every summer, we used to spend one week at the beach"). To expand your Spanish repertoire, you can also use soler (in the imperfect) + infinitive to mean "used to": Todos los veranos, solíamos pasar una semana en la playa.
Present or Imperfect subjunctive:
La doctora espera / esperaba que yo suela / soliera cambiar mis hábitos.
The doctor hopes/was hoping that I would change my habits.
How to use 'deber de?'
The verb deber along with the preposition de is used if we want to express deduction in both affirmative and negative sentences. The meanings in English change a bit: in the affirmative, deber de is closest in meaning to “must,” but in the negative form, it means “can’t” (as in the meaning of being impossible).
Trabajaste mucho hoy. Debes de estar cansado.
You worked a lot today. You must be tired.
¿Vamos al parque? No debe de ser muy tarde.
Let’s go to the park! It can’t be very late.
How to use ‘tener que’?
This one is really useful and it can also express different things: obligation or need, advice, and deduction! You always need to use it with the conjunction and a verb in the infinitive que and a verb in the infinitive. Let’s see the different cases where it can be used:
Obligation or need
Use tener que ("have to") + infinitive to indicate that an action is mandatory or necessary.
Mañana es el examen final. Tengo que estudiar mucho.
Tomorrow is the final exam. I have to study a lot.
Important
Use no tener que + infinitive to mean that an action is optional:
En esta compañía no tienes que llegar a las 8 de la mañana.
In this company you don’t have to arrive at 8 in the morning.
For more on how to express obligation in Spanish, click the link!
How to use 'haber que'?
The verb haber ("to have") works differently than other verbs because when used as a modal with que it only uses the third person singular: había (imperfect) , habría (conditional) etc., or in the present use the fixed form hay. This verb combination is very useful to express obligation or need, and is close in meaning to deber. Some students confuse it with tener que, but there's a difference. Haber que + infinitive is always used to make , meaning that the actions expressed with it are addressed to a general audience:
Para estar saludable, hay que hacer ejercicio.
In order to be healthy, one has to exercise.
Let’s compare haber que with tener que:
HABER QUE | TENER QUE |
|---|---|
Si queremos detener la contaminación, hay que cambiar de hábitos. If we want to stop pollution, one has to/ it is necessary to change habits. | Si quieres ayudar con el problema de la contaminación, tienes que empezar a reducir tus desechos. If you want to help with the problem of pollution, you have to start reducing your waste. |
As you can see, haber que doesn’t address who has the obligation to do the action, whereas tener que addresses a specific person(s).
Finally, this combo in the present tense can also be used to suggest to do something, similar to English “let’s”:
¡Hay que bailar!
Let’s dance!
To learn about other impersonal expressions such as the impersonal se in Spanish, click the link!
Important
Recall that with modals verbs (and other two-verb combos) can be placed before the conjugated verb or attached to the infinitive:
Lo queríamos terminar. OR Queríamos terminarlo.
We wanted to finish it.
However, with this particular combo (haber que+ infinitive), the object pronouns cannot be placed before haber.
✓ Había que terminarlo. 🆇 Lo había que terminar.
We had to finish it.
How to use 'necesitar'?
The verb necesitar ("to need") is also a very useful one. Its meaning and use in Spanish is quite similar with English: it expresses need, necessity, or lack of necessity.
Necesito tomar más agua.
I need to drink more water.
No necesitas comprar más zapatos.
You don’t need to buy more shoes.
Some students overuse necesitar to talk about obligation instead of using tener que ("have to"), and there is a slight difference in Spanish: necesitar is used to talk about personal needs, whereas tener que is used to talk about obligations that are defined by other circumstances. For example:
Personal need →
Necesito caminar todos los días para estar saludable.
I need to walk everyday to be healthy.
Obligation →
Tengo que caminar a la universidad porque no hay transporte público.
I have to walk to the university because there’s no public transportation.
In conclusion
As you can see, when it comes to modal verbs in Spanish, there’s quite a variety! Depending on what you want to express (advice, ability, obligation, etc.), there are quite a few options you can use to sound like a native speaker!
To help you learn modal verbs the easy way, we have some gifts for you: check out this cheat sheet with modal verbs in Spanish and English, this conjugation guide, and these Spanish exercises to help you practice and use modal verbs in context.
