{"id":22698,"date":"2023-09-26T14:44:54","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T19:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/?p=22698"},"modified":"2024-07-16T14:19:57","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T19:19:57","slug":"helping-verbs-in-english-list-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/helping-verbs-in-english-list-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Verbs in English: List &#038; Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4FbFkHyUsOM?si=nN4-QeU8uV7DxUmy?rel=0\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<div class=\"alert\"><center><a class=\"elementor-button rounded large green\" href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/free-pdf-helping-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Download lesson PDF<\/strong><\/a><\/center><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/free-pdf-helping-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23050\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs-768x588.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<h3>What are helping verbs?<\/h3>\n<p>Helping verbs, also called \u201cauxiliary verbs,\u201d are verbs that don\u2019t have a specific definition by themselves, but instead \u201chelp\u201d the main verb of the sentence.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of English learners make mistakes with helping verbs in English, so here\u2019s a complete guide to using this type of verb!<\/p>\n<h3>Helping Verbs List<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Basic helping verbs:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#1\">do \/ does \/ did<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2\">be (being, been, am, is, are,\u00a0 was,\u00a0 were, will be)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3\">have \/ has \/ had<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Modal helping verbs:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#4\">can \/ could<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#5\">may \/ might<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#6\">should<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#7\">must<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#8\">will \/ won&#8217;t \/ shall<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#9\">would<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"alert\">\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Learn essential English grammar!<\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/english-grammar-e-books-audio-mp3\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20584 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grammar-ebooks-small-300x234.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grammar-ebooks-small-300x234.png 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grammar-ebooks-small.png 530w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Basic Helping Verbs<\/h3>\n<p><a name=\"1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Helping Verb #1 \u2013 DO \/ DOES \/ DID<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Use a form of the word \u201cDO\u201d to ask questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do<\/strong>\u00a0you like ice cream?<\/li>\n<li>Where<strong>\u00a0do<\/strong>\u00a0they live?<\/li>\n<li>What time\u00a0<strong>does<\/strong>\u00a0the bank open?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Does<\/strong>\u00a0Bill have a dog?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Did<\/strong>\u00a0you go to the party?<\/li>\n<li>Why\u00a0<strong>did<\/strong>\u00a0she go home early yesterday?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use\u00a0<strong>DO<\/strong>\u00a0with I, you, we, and they (in the present).<\/p>\n<p>Use<strong>\u00a0DOES<\/strong>\u00a0with he, she, and it (in the present).<\/p>\n<p>Use\u00a0<strong>DID<\/strong>\u00a0for all forms in the past.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Advanced tip:<\/strong>\u00a0When asking questions in the past with WHY, WHERE, and HOW + DID, we often shorten the word \u201cdid\u201d in spoken English.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why&#8217;<strong>d<\/strong>\u00a0she go home early yesterday?<br \/>\n<em>= Why did&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Where&#8217;<strong>d<\/strong>\u00a0you buy that T-shirt?<br \/>\n<em>= Where did&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n<li>How&#8217;<strong>d<\/strong>\u00a0he finish his homework so fast?<br \/>\n<em>= How did&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use<strong>\u00a0DON\u2019T, DOESN\u2019T,<\/strong>\u00a0and<strong>\u00a0DIDN\u2019T<\/strong>\u00a0to form negative statements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I<strong>\u00a0don\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0like ice cream.<\/li>\n<li>They\u00a0<strong>don\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0live in this neighborhood.<\/li>\n<li>The bank<strong>\u00a0doesn\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0open on Saturdays.<\/li>\n<li>Bill\u00a0<strong>doesn\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0have a dog.<\/li>\n<li>We\u00a0<strong>didn\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0go to the party.<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<strong>didn\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0have any more work to do, so she went home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Avoid this common error:<\/strong>\u00a0Using NO or NOT as the helping verb.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><del>I\u00a0<strong>no<\/strong>\u00a0like ice cream.<\/del><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><del>I\u00a0<strong>not<\/strong>\u00a0like ice cream.<\/del><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #008000;\">I\u00a0<strong>don\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0like ice cream.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><del><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">We\u00a0<strong>no<\/strong>\u00a0go to the party.<\/span><\/del><br \/>\n<del><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">We\u00a0<strong>not<\/strong>\u00a0go to the party.<\/span><\/del><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #008000;\">We\u00a0<strong>didn\u2019t<\/strong>\u00a0go to the party.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19914\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19914\" style=\"width: 272px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19914\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/ice-3762671_640-272x300.jpg\" alt=\"Helping verbs: do \/ don't \/ does \/ did \/ didn't\" width=\"272\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/ice-3762671_640-272x300.jpg 272w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/ice-3762671_640.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 272px) 100vw, 272px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19914\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Do\u00a0<\/strong>you like ice cream? I\u00a0<strong>don&#8217;t\u00a0<\/strong>like ice cream.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Helping Verb #2 \u2013 BE<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Use a form of the word BE to make the present, past, and future continuous tenses:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Present Continuous: AM, IS, ARE + -ing form<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I<strong>\u2018m<\/strong>\u00a0studying English.<\/li>\n<li>He<strong>\u2018s<\/strong>\u00a0talking on the phone.<\/li>\n<li>We<strong>\u2018re<\/strong>\u00a0having dinner right now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Past Continuous: WAS, WERE + -ing form<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He\u00a0<strong>was<\/strong>\u00a0singing in the shower.<\/li>\n<li>We\u00a0<strong>were<\/strong>\u00a0driving home from work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Future Continuous: WILL BE + -ing form<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tomorrow morning I<strong>\u2018ll be<\/strong>\u00a0teaching an English class.<\/li>\n<li>Next month we<strong>\u2018ll be<\/strong>\u00a0traveling to Europe.<\/li>\n<li>Ted\u00a0<strong>will be<\/strong>\u00a0speaking at the conference in July.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>FORMING QUESTIONS WITH HELPING VERBS<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>When you ask a question in the present, past, or future continuous, the word order changes and the helping verb comes BEFORE the subject:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is he<\/strong>\u00a0talking on the phone?<br \/>\n<strong>He&#8217;s<\/strong>\u00a0talking on the phone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Were you<\/strong>\u00a0driving home from work?<br \/>\n<strong>We were<\/strong>\u00a0driving home from work.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Will Ted<\/strong>\u00a0be speaking at the conference?<br \/>\n<strong>Ted will<\/strong>\u00a0be speaking at the conference.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Finally, use a form of the word BE to make the passive voice.\u00a0<a title=\"Passive Voice Examples &amp; Exercises \u2013 Present \/ Past\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/passive-voice-examples-exercises-present-past\/\">Click here for a lesson on the passive voice.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22705\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22705\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-22705\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/having-dinner-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"The helping verb &quot;be&quot; has many forms\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/having-dinner-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/having-dinner.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22705\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">What <strong>are<\/strong> you doing? I<strong>&#8216;m<\/strong> having dinner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><strong>Helping Verb #3 \u2013 HAVE<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Use a form of the verb HAVE to make perfect tenses:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Present perfect: Use HAVE (with I, you, we, they) and HAS (with he, she, it)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I<strong>\u2018ve<\/strong>\u00a0finished my homework.<\/li>\n<li>She\u00a0<strong>has<\/strong>\u00a0just left the office.<\/li>\n<li>Bob and Karen\u00a0<strong>have<\/strong>\u00a0already spoken to me.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Advanced tip:<\/strong>\u00a0In spoken English, we often shorten \u201che has\u201d and \u201cshe has\u201d to \u201che\u2019s\u201d and \u201cshe\u2019s\u201d:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>She\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0(she has) just left the office.<\/li>\n<li><strong>He\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0(he has) borrowed my textbook.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Past perfect: Use HAD in all cases<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He said he\u00a0<strong>had<\/strong>\u00a0bought the tickets.<\/li>\n<li>We\u00a0<strong>had<\/strong>\u00a0hoped to finish early, but we didn\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Advanced tip:<\/strong>\u00a0In spoken English, we often shorten \u201chad\u201d to \u2018d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He said he&#8217;<strong>d<\/strong>\u00a0bought the tickets.<\/li>\n<li>We&#8217;<strong>d<\/strong>\u00a0hoped to finish early, but we didn\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Future perfect: Use WILL HAVE in all cases<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>By this time tomorrow, I\u00a0<strong>will have<\/strong>\u00a0finished this project.<\/li>\n<li>By the time I\u2019m 30, I<strong>\u00a0will have<\/strong>\u00a0traveled to over a dozen countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>FORMING QUESTIONS WITH HELPING VERBS<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Again, when you ask a question with HAVE, the word order changes and the helping verb comes BEFORE the subject:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Have\u00a0you<\/strong>\u00a0finished your homework?<br \/>\n<strong>I&#8217;ve<\/strong>\u00a0finished my homework<\/li>\n<li><strong>Has\u00a0she<\/strong>\u00a0left the office?<br \/>\n<strong>She\u00a0has<\/strong>\u00a0just left the office.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have\u00a0Bob and Karen<\/strong>\u00a0spoken to you?<br \/>\n<strong>Bob and Karen\u00a0have<\/strong>\u00a0spoken to me.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Learn more about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/english-verb-tenses\">English verb tenses here!<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22706\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22706\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-22706\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/homework-g3a7e50b56_640-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Helping verb: Have\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/homework-g3a7e50b56_640-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/homework-g3a7e50b56_640.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22706\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I<strong>&#8216;ve<\/strong> finished my homework.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a name=\"modal\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Modal Helping Verbs<\/h3>\n<p>Now that you know how to use the basic helping verbs in English, let&#8217;s learn the modal helping verbs. <strong>Modal helping verbs<\/strong> modify the main verb by expressing necessity or possibility.<br \/>\n<a name=\"4\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Use CAN \/ COULD to express ABILITY \/ POSSIBILITY:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">I <strong>can<\/strong> swim.<br \/>\n(I have the ability to swim)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">We <strong>could<\/strong> go to the movies tonight.<br \/>\n(It&#8217;s possible for us to go to the movies tonight)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You <strong>can&#8217;t<\/strong> enter the restricted area.<br \/>\n(It&#8217;s not possible for you to enter that area)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">He tried to call me, but he <strong>couldn&#8217;t<\/strong> get through.<br \/>\n(It wasn&#8217;t possible for him to speak to me)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_22707\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22707\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-22707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/area-closed-g886038dab_640-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/area-closed-g886038dab_640-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/area-closed-g886038dab_640.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22707\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You <strong>can&#8217;t<\/strong> enter this area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Use MAY \/ MIGHT to express &#8220;MAYBE&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">We <strong>might<\/strong> go camping this weekend, depending on the weather.<br \/>\n(Maybe we will go camping, maybe we won&#8217;t)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">I <strong>may<\/strong> go to the gym later, if I get off from work early.<br \/>\n(Maybe I will go, maybe I won&#8217;t)<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Difference between \u201cmay\u201d and \u201cmight\u201d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/difference-between-may-and-might\/\">Click here for more details on the differences between MAY and MIGHT.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3744\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/english-verbs-shrug-your-shoulders-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"May and might = maybe\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/english-verbs-shrug-your-shoulders-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/english-verbs-shrug-your-shoulders.jpg 366w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We\u00a0<strong>might\u00a0<\/strong>go camping this weekend, depending on the weather.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Use SHOULD to express a RECOMMENDATION \/ SUGGESTION<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">If your head hurts, you <strong>should<\/strong> go to the doctor.<br \/>\n(I suggest that you go to the doctor)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">He <strong>should<\/strong> see that movie &#8211; he&#8217;d like it.<br \/>\n(I recommend that he see the movie)<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"7\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Use MUST to express NECESSITY (something that is required)<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">You <strong>must<\/strong> arrive on time for the exam, otherwise they won&#8217;t let you take it.<br \/>\n(It is necessary to arrive on time)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Advanced tip:<\/strong> <\/span>In spoken English, it&#8217;s much more common to use &#8220;need to&#8221; and &#8220;have to&#8221; and &#8220;got to&#8221; (informal) for requirements instead of MUST.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You <strong>have to<\/strong> arrive on time for the exam.<\/li>\n<li>You <strong>need to<\/strong> arrive on time for the exam.<\/li>\n<li>You<strong> gotta (got to)<\/strong> arrive on time for the exam. &#8211; <em>Informal &#8211; spoken English only!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"8\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Use WILL \/ WON&#8217;T to express CERTAINTY about the future<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">I<strong>&#8216;ll<\/strong> help you write the report.<br \/>\n(I promise to help you write it)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">That software <strong>won&#8217;t<\/strong> work &#8211; it&#8217;s not compatible with the computer.<br \/>\n(It&#8217;s certain that the software will not work)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/when-do-we-use-shall-in-english\/\">SHALL<\/a> is similar to WILL, but it is typically only used in very formal English.<br \/>\n<a name=\"9\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Use WOULD to express a HYPOTHETICAL \/ IMAGINARY situation<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>If I were a millionaire, I <strong>would<\/strong> give away a lot of my money to charity.<\/li>\n<li>Dana <strong>would<\/strong> study English if she had more free time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In spoken English, WOULD is often shortened to &#8216;d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16878\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16878\" style=\"width: 285px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16878\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/thinking-285x300.png\" alt=\"Helping verb would = imaginary situations\" width=\"285\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16878\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">If I were a millionaire, I <strong>would<\/strong>&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Asking Questions with Modal Helping Verbs<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>When you ask a question, the word order changes and the helping verb comes BEFORE the subject:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>I <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">can<\/span><\/strong> swim.<br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Can<\/span> you<\/strong> swim?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Could<\/span> we<\/strong> go to a movie tonight?<br \/>\nYes, <strong>we <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">could.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>You <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">should<\/span><\/strong> see that movie.<br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Should<\/span> I<\/strong> see that movie?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>I&#8217;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">ll<\/span><\/strong> help you.<br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Will<\/span> you<\/strong> help me?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>I <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">would<\/span><\/strong> give away a lot of my money.<br \/>\nWhat <strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">would<\/span> you<\/strong> do?<\/p>\n<p>Now you know how to use basic helping verbs and modal helping verbs in English! Can you make your own example sentences with each of these helping verbs?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Learn more: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/past-modals-should-have-could-have-would-have\/\">Should have, Could have, Would have<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Learn more: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/modal-verbs-in-english-deduction\/\">Modal verbs for deduction<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Learn more: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/stative-verbs-action-verbs-and-verbs-that-are-both\/\">State verbs and action verbs<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"alert\"><center><a class=\"elementor-button rounded large green\" href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/free-pdf-helping-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Download lesson PDF<\/strong><\/a><\/center><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/free-pdf-helping-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23050\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/helpingverbs-768x588.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"alert\">\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Master the details of English grammar:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/advanced-english-grammar-course\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19991 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aegc-1024x780.png\" alt=\"Advanced English Grammar Course\" width=\"680\" height=\"518\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aegc-1024x780.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aegc-300x229.png 300w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aegc-768x585.png 768w, https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aegc.png 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><center><a class=\"elementor-button rounded large blue\" href=\"https:\/\/espressoenglish.lpages.co\/advanced-english-grammar-course\/\"><strong>Learn more about this course<\/strong><\/a><\/center><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Download lesson PDF What are helping verbs? Helping verbs, also called \u201cauxiliary verbs,\u201d are verbs that don\u2019t have a specific definition by themselves, but instead \u201chelp\u201d the main verb of the sentence. A lot of English learners make mistakes with helping verbs in English, so here\u2019s a complete guide to using this type of verb! [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Helping Verbs in English: List &amp; Examples - Espresso English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Helping verbs, also called \u201cauxiliary verbs,\u201d assist the main verb of the sentence - do, be, have, can, could, might, should, would, and more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espressoenglish.net\/helping-verbs-in-english-list-examples\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Helping Verbs in English: List &amp; 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