Modal verbs

 

5. Inevitability, characteristic behaviour, quality, or something naturally expected.

 

What will be will be. Accidents will happen.   Boys will be boys. Truth will out.

- Чему быть, того не миновать. - Несчастные случаи неизбежны (несчастный случай может произойти с каждым). - Мальчишки всегда остаются мальчишками. - Истины не утаишь.

 

This sort of inevitability or prediction often occurs in sentences with conditional clauses.

 

If people study they will learn. (If people study they learn)

If litmus paper is dipped in acid, it will turn red (it turns red).

 

This meaning cannot be rendered in Russian by any analogous modal verb.

 

Oil will float on water.

Children will often be full of life when their parents are tired.

This car will hold six people comfortably.

That’s exactly like Jocelyn - she would lose the key.

 

6. Disapproval of something expected. In this meaning only would is used. It is found mainly in responses. It corresponds to the Russian этого и следовало ожидать, на него похоже.

 

“I know she attended the place.”

“Oh, yes, she would.” - Конечно, что еще можно ожидать.

“Hе refused to interfere.” “He would.” — На него похоже.

“I don’t like it and I don’t visit the place.” “No, you wouldn’t.” (I didn’t expect you would.)

You would be late! - Конечно, ты опять опоздал.

You would forget. - Конечно же, вы забыли.

 

II. Will/would combined with different forms of the infinitive can express prediction, a certainty about the present or the future (in a similar way as must).

 

This will be just what she wants. That will be my wife. This will be our train. That would be he! John will have arrived by now (by tomorrow).

- Это,  очевидно, то, чего она хочет.  - Это, конечно, моя жена. - Это, наверное, наш поезд.  - Это, наверное, он. - Джон наверняка уже  приедет к этому времени (к  завтрашнему дню).

 

In the latter case must is impossible as with a perfect infinitive it has a reference to the past.

 

That would be in 1910, I think. Why are you asking him? Не wouldn’t know anything about it. Who is the man? You wouldn’t know him.

Я думаю, это, наверное, было в 1910 году. Зачем вы его спрашиваете? Вряд ли он что-либо об этом знает. Вряд ли вы его знаете.

 

Note the expression:

 

You would, would you? - Ax, ты так!

Dare

 

§ 164. The modal verb dare may be defective or regular.

As a defective verb dare has two forms: dare for the present tense and dared for the past tense. It is used chiefly in interrogative and negative sentences. It has the meaning - to have the courage or independence to do something, to venture.

 

How dare he speak to you like that? (I wonder at such impudence.)

How dare you sneak into my room like this?

He daren’t write anything in case it isn't good (he hasn’t got the courage).

Dare you ask him? (Are you brave enough to ask him?)

That’s as much as I dare spend on it.

 

As a regular verb dare has a limited paradigm of finite forms and no verbals. It may have two meanings:

 

1. To venture, to have the courage or impudence (like the defective dare). In this sense it is used mainly in negative statements.

 

He didn’t dare to stop me (he didn’t have the courage).

She doesn’t dare to answer.

Don’t you dare to touch me.

 

2. To challenge, to defy.

 

I dared him to jump (I challenged him to do it).

I dare you to say this straight to her face. - Попробуй, скажи ей это прямо в лицо.

 

Note the following combinations with the modal verb dare.

 

I dare say — I suppose, no doubt.

I dare say you are right. - Очень возможно, что вы правы.

I dare say he will come later. - Полагаю (пожалуй), он придет позже.