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Modal Verbs - Lesson 207

May and Might for Permission

Lesson 207 - learn may and might for permission: how to form it, when to use it, common mistakes, examples and a short video.

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How to form the may and might for permission

May I leave class early? No, you may not, you may only leave when the class ends.

We use may and might to give permission, may not and might not to refuse permission. We can use may and might in questions to request permission. May is fairly formal but it is still commonly used, however might for permission is so formal that it is not often used today, except in requests for permission, or in reported speech.

For example: You may go into the fields or down the lane.
May we take a break now? Might we stop now for a few minutes?
The rules say that we may not change any of the positions.
He asked if he might go. (reported speech for the phrase: May I go?"

Notice that in the past we do not use "may have + past participle" for permission, instead we need to use could. For prohibition in the past we use could not. "May have + past participle" is only for speculation about the past.

For example: You may (prohibited) no longer bring your own food to work with you as you could (permitted) in the past.
Today women may (permitted) vote, but in the past they couldn't (prohibited) vote.
May not have voted would be speaking about the possibility of women not voting.


The following video explains May and Might for Permission:

When to use it

  • May for permission — polite and quite formal. May I come in?
  • Might for very formal or tentative permission requests. Might I make a suggestion?
  • In everyday speech, can and could are the usual way to ask permission.

Signal words & time expressions: please, formally, politely, in writing

Watch the video lesson

Video transcript

Hi. May and might for permission. To talk about what is permitted, what is allowed. So, for example, you come to a door that is shut and you need to go in to talk to someone. You probably knock on the door and you can say, "May I come in?" May I, you are asking for permission. OK. Perhaps you are in somebody's house and you want to smoke. You say, "May I smoke?" OK. You could also use might I, "Might I come in?" "Might I smoke?" Notice in both these cases might is more formal than may, and might suggests a greater possibility of the other person saying, "No, you may not." OK. Notice in the negative, you may not is quite common. You might not as a prohibition is not really used. "No, you may not smoke." "No, you may not come in." OK. I think the use of might there would not be suitable. OK. So, we use may to ask for permission to do something. Sometimes my students need to have their telephone on in class and sometimes it rings, so I suggest if they say. "May I?" "May I answer it?" "Is it OK if I answer it?" Of course they may, of course I'm going to give permission, but it's a nice polite way. If you say, "Can I?" it's a bit too direct. OK> "Could I?" is perfectly acceptable as well. Or perhaps you're in class, "May I go to the loo?" "May I go to the toilet?" OK. So, may I, you're asking for permission. "Of course you may." "Do go ahead." So, may and might for permission. Yes. Notice, may have, may have been, this is not for permission, it is only for speculation. OK. So thanks for watching and I'll see you in another video. Bye for now.

Common mistakes to avoid

Not quite…Better
May you pass the salt?Could you pass the salt? — use may for permission about yourself (May I…), not for asking someone to do something.
You may to leave now.You may leave now.

Frequently asked questions

‘May I’ or ‘Can I’?

Both ask permission. May I is more formal and polite; Can I is more common in relaxed, everyday situations.

How do I grant or refuse permission?

Grant: Yes, you may. Refuse: No, you may not (formal) or simply Sorry, you can't.

Continue the course

This lesson is part of our free English Modal Verbs course — work through it in order or jump to what you need next.

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