What Is Modality in Language?

Why It’s Not About Rules — But About Attitude

“We don’t just say something. We say how we feel about what we say.”
— Tymur Levitin

Author’s Column — Tymur Levitin on Language, Meaning, and Respect
Part of the series: Grammar Is Meaning, Not Rules

Why Students Struggle with Modality

They often memorize that can, must和 might are “modal verbs.”
But they don’t understand what makes them modal.

They know that “you must go” is stronger than “you should go” — but they don’t know 为什么.

The answer is simple:
Modality isn’t about grammar. It’s about your inner attitude.

What Modality Really Means

Modality means:
“What do I think or feel about this action?”

Not:

• What is happening?
  But:
• Do I want this to happen?
• Am I sure it will happen?
• Do I believe it should happen?

Modality adds emotional and logical filters to a sentence. It reflects:

• certainty or doubt
• obligation or permission
• desire or fear
• possibility or necessity

Modal Verbs Are Not Real Actions

Modal verbs like can, must, would, might, may, should, shall -
they’re not real actions. You can’t “must” something. You can’t “should” someone.

They exist only to express your relationship to the main verb.

Compare:

• I go to work. — action
• I must go to work. — mental necessity
• I might go to work. — uncertainty
• I would go to work. — hypothetical or polite

Modality = mental position
Verb = real-world action

Native Speakers Don’t Learn Modality — They Feel It

If you ask a native speaker to explain 为什么 “you might go” feels softer than “you must go”, they won’t give you grammar rules.

They’ll say:

“It just sounds less direct.”
“It’s more polite.”
“It’s not so strong.”

That’s exactly how we teach:
We train perception, not memorization.

Modality Is Universal — But Languages Do It Differently

All languages express modality — but they use different tools:

That’s why literal translation often fails:
“He must be tired” is not the same as “Er muss müde sein” — even if grammatically similar.
Modality carries tone, psychology, even social context.

Why Modality Matters in Real Life

Modality is the reason:

• “You could try again.” feels kind.
• “You must try again.” feels pushy.
• “Try again.” feels cold.

And that’s why learning it is not just about speaking correctly —
这是关于 sounding human.

Related posts from our blog

→ One Noun — One Identifier
→ Why ‘a apples’ Doesn’t Exist
→ 翻译中的时态转换为什么时间总是很重要
→ Why We Don’t Promise You’ll Learn English in 30 Days

关于作者

Tymur Levitin — founder, director, and senior instructor at Levitin Language School / Start Language School by Tymur Levitin
🔗 认识作者 →
© Tymur Levitin。保留所有权利。