Hey there, guys! Welcome to our class!
You've already watched the video about the situation
and the interaction guide that focused on the hotel staff.
You've seen how important cultural aspects are
when we are in a different country!
Since some of the attitudes and behavior expected from us
will be determined by the local culture.
For example, we talked about tipping, remember?
In the US you're supposed to tip the housekeeper.
"Be supposed to" is a very frequent expression in English.
"Be supposed to" is used to express what is expected from us.
Let's take a look at the structure!
We'll have the subject,
then the verb "to be" in the appropriate form,
followed by "supposed to", then the main verb and the complement.
Take a look at this other example!
Here, we're talking about one of the hotel policies,
meaning that guest are expected to follow this rule.
And we have "you are supposed to".
Note the verb "to be" is used in the simple present
and the main verb is in its base form.
Let's see another example with another subject!
In this case, the housekeeper is the subject,
which is equivalente to "he" or "she" in this context.
Therefore, we say "is supposed to".
The housekeeper is expected to do this because it is part of his or her duties
at the hotel.
And if we want to use the interrogative or negative form,
just follow the same sentence structure used with the verb "to be".
Look!
Notice that we only invert the position of the verb "to be", "are",
and the subject "guests".
And in the negative form, we're just going to include "not".
Take a look!
Now guys, pay attention.
When we use the expression "be supposed to", it means that something is expected,
an expectation from the outside.
When we talk about feelings of expectations and desire for something to happen,
we use the verb "hope".
For example, we can say:
Here we're talking about a desire,
something that I hope you will achieve or feel.
It is another idea of expectation:
it is no longer something that is expected from you,
but something that I want to happen to you.
To express this idea, as you've seen,
we do not use the structure "be supposed to".
In this case, we use the verb "hope" in the simple present.
Let's see another example!
Here, there's this idea of a positive expectation for the future.
So, summing up, we have the following:
Well, guys, speaking of expectations, when we travel to another country
it is common for us to research important information
and common habits to get ready for the trip.
But when we get there, we might still have some questions
or maybe need someone's help, right?
If that happens, just ask questions,
be it to get information or to know how something works.
And we've already seen how to make requests using the modal verbs "can" and "could".
Do you remember the structure used with these modal verbs?
We use the modal verb, then the subject,
the main verb in the base form, and then the complement.
Let's see an example with "can"!
The modal verb "could" would also work in this situation,
but the question would have a more formal tone.
Check it out!
Well, we're using "can" and "could" in the interrogative form
and they add an idea of possibility to the main verb.
As if you were saying "is it possible for you to help me?"
But, what if we used these modal verbs in the affirmative form?
First, take a look at the structure of the modal verb "can"
in the affirmative form.
Subject + modal verb, in this case "can",
then the main verb, and, after, the complement.
Alright, now let's think about the possible meanings.
The first one is possibility, for example:
Meaning it's possible for him or her to clean the room in a few minutes.
Or maybe we want to emphasize the idea of permission,
that is, the housekeeper is allowed to clean the room.
But depending on the contexto, we may emphasize the idea of ability,
that he or she is able to clean the room.
So, the modal verb "can" expresses the idea of a possibility;
but also of being able to do something, that is, an idea of ability
or even permission to do something.
And to understand which function is being highlighted,
we'll have to analyze the context.
The same thing happens with "could" in the affirmative form:
its meaning will depend on the context.
First thing, let's focus on the structure again!
Since "could" is a modal verb, we will follow the same structure
in the affirmative form:
Subject + modal verb "could", then the main verb, and the complement.
Now, pay attention to this example:
We are talking about possibility here.
If the air conditioner is broken and I say:
I'm telling you there's a remote or weak possibility.
But depending on the context "could" can express the idea of ability,
referring to an ability in the past.
Somehow, we might say that "could" works like the past of "can".
But only when I'm referreing to the idea of ability.
Ok, guys?
And those same ideas will be expressed using the negative form.
Let's take a look!
In general, the structure of the modal verbs in the negative forms is as follows:
"Cannot" can be contracted, "can't".
"Could not" can be contracted too, "Couldn't".
Take a look:
I can understand that he or she cannot, or does not have permission,
or there is no possibility
or even that he or she has no ability to do so.
And if I say:
I can understand that he didn't have the ability to fix the AC
or that he had no chance to do it.
But there's still another modal verb used to make requests.
It's the modal verb "may".
This is the first time we're going to talk about this modal verb,
but we will see that it also follows the same structure as the other modal verbs.
Check it out!
In the affirmative, we have:
In the negative, we add "not" right after the modal verb "may".
And one more thing,
there's no contracted form of "may" and "not".
We only say "may not".
And in the interrogative,
we invert the position of "may" with the position of the subject.
So, we have:
"May" is used to ask and give permission.
But it can only be used to ask permission for ourselves.
That means that we can only use "may" to ask permission
using the interrogative form with pronouns "I" and "we",
that is, first person singular or plural.
We can ask for permission using "may", "can" or "could",
but among them, "may" is the one that sounds more formal.
Therefore, the hotel bellhop may ask you the following question:
In that question, they are asking permission to pick up your luggage.
And they choose to use "may" to sound more formal,
and to emphasize the meaning of permission.
So when we want to ask permission, especially in more formal situations,
we should prefer "may", because "can" and "could",
as we have seen, have other meanings besides permission.
And how could we answer this request?
Well, we can use the affirmative form to give permission,
or the negative to deny permission.
It goes like this:
Or:
So, guys, while using "may" in the interrogative form
we can only use "I" or "we" to ask permission.
But to grant or deny permission, we're going to use "you".
A friendly tip: this reply using "may not" sounds very emphatic, ok?
If you want to be more subtle when saying "no" in a similar situation,
you can just smile and say:
So, we've already said that asking permission with "may"
usually happens with the subject in the first person;
and to grant permission we will use the subject in the person "you".
But if you come across a sentence using "may" in the affirmative
or negative with other subjects,
and even using "I" or "you",
it's very likely to deal with a different contexto, like probability.
Check it out!
Here, "may" is not expressing permission.
Here we're wondering if the concierge is likely to get the tickets or not.
Let's see an example in the negative form!
Once again, this sentence is not related to permission.
We're talking about the likelihood of getting an upgrade.
See? Depending on the context,
modal verbs can bring a new meaning to the sentence!
Incredible, right?
Now, do those follow-up activities to review these topics!
And I'll see you all around! Until next time!