Vocabulaire modaux anglais - Expressions idiomatiques - Cabinet Action

Expressions avec CAN / COULD

Expression anglaise	Traduction	Exemple
can't help doing sth	ne pas s'empecher de faire qch	I can't help laughing.
can't stand sth	ne pas supporter qch	I can't stand loud music.
can't afford to	ne pas pouvoir se permettre	We can't afford to fail.
could do with sth	avoir besoin de / apprecier	I could do with a break.
could not care less	s'en ficher completement	He couldn't care less.
as best as one can	du mieux possible	Do as best as you can.
if you can manage it	si vous pouvez vous en occuper	Come early if you can manage it.
could have sworn	aurait jure	I could have sworn he was here.
could use some help	aurait bien besoin d'aide	I could use some help here.
can you believe it?	tu y crois ?	Can you believe it started raining?

Expressions avec MUST / SHOULD

Expression anglaise	Traduction	Exemple
must-see / must-have	incontournable / indispensable	It's a must-see film.
should have known better	aurait du etre plus prudent	You should have known better.
if you must know	si tu veux vraiment le savoir	If you must know, I was late.
that's a must	c'est indispensable	Learning modals is a must.
you should have seen it	tu aurais du le voir	You should have seen his face!
I must say	je dois admettre / il faut dire	I must say, I'm impressed.
must be joking	plaisanter	You must be joking!
should be so lucky	ce serait trop beau	Win the lottery? I should be so lucky.

Expressions avec WILL / WOULD

Expression anglaise	Traduction	Exemple
would rather	preferer	I would rather stay home.
would you mind + -ing?	cela vous derangerait-il de ?	Would you mind closing the door?
will do!	entendu ! c'est fait !	"Can you call him?" "Will do!"
that will do	ca suffit / c'est suffisant	That will do for now.
will not hear of it	refuser categoriquement	She won't hear of it.
would have thought	aurait cru / imagine	Who would have thought?
would not hurt	ne ferait pas de mal	A bit of rest wouldn't hurt.
as would be expected	comme on pouvait s'y attendre	He arrived late, as would be expected.

Expressions avec MAY / MIGHT

Expression anglaise	Traduction	Exemple
may as well	autant faire / pourquoi pas	We may as well leave now.
might as well	autant (resignement)	I might as well give up.
be that as it may	quoi qu'il en soit	Be that as it may, we must continue.
may I ask?	puis-je me permettre de demander ?	May I ask why you were late?
might I suggest?	puis-je me permettre de suggerer ?	Might I suggest a different approach?

Modaux dans le contexte professionnel (emails / reunions)

Situation	Expression modale	Exemple complet
Demande polie	Could you / Would you	Could you send me the report by Friday?
Offre d'aide	Can I / Shall I	Shall I arrange the meeting?
Recommandation	You should / I would suggest	I would suggest reviewing the budget.
Permission	May I / Could I	May I take a day off next Monday?
Obligation	We must / You need to	We must submit before the deadline.
Possibilite	This might / This could	This might affect our timeline.
Hypothese	If ... would / If ... could	If you could attend, that would be great.