May, might and would

[tufguy]

Hi guys,

Here are some sentences, please check these.

1) "He must be sleeping/going to bed everyday before 5 pm or till 5 pm"(If we want to say that somebody is doing something regularly but we are just assuming(I mean we are not that sure)that from our side, if there is any indian, I am also writing the question in hindi "Mera dost paanch baje se pehele soo jata hooga"), is it ok to say this or do we need to say "He must be getting slept" can we use this formation also.

2) can we use must and might/may for the regular activities of anyone's, like if we want to say that somebody might be doing something regularly.

3) If we want to say that something will be completed before a time period or a certain point in the future, we can use will have done, but if we are not that sure so can we use "would" instead of "will", because as we know would is used for the imaginations or assumptions also.

 

[mtreadaway]

Hi guys,

Here are some sentences, please check these.

1) "He must be sleeping/going to bed everyday before 5 pm or till 5 pm"(If we want to say that somebody is doing something regularly but we are just assuming(I mean we are not that sure)that from our side, if there is any indian, I am also writing the question in hindi "Mera dost paanch baje se pehele soo jata hooga"), is it ok to say this or do we need to say "He must be getting slept" can we use this formation also.


2) can we use must and might/may for the regular activities of anyone's, like if we want to say that somebody might be doing something regularly.


3) If we want to say that something will be completed before a time period or a certain point in the future, we can use will have done, but if we are not that sure so can we use "would" instead of "will", because as we know would is used for the imaginations or assumptions also.

1. No. 'He must be getting slept' is ungrammatical. You would need to use a 'process' verb like dressed, drunk. We use get + past participle as a kind of passive construction that shows some kind of transformation from one state to another (and sleep isn't something that transforms). Also, if we use 'must' as the modal verb we are quite sure about the situation we are talking about.

2. For regular activities we would normally use present simple or present continuous. However, if we wanted to speculate and we weren't so certain about that they were doing, then using may/might be doing is OK.

3. Usually, when you use would have done, we are using the subjunctive mood, so it definitely has that hypothetical feel about it. Or you could reduce the certainty by using may and might (if you think it's a real situation). For example By 2015, I may/might have completed my Master's.

Hope this helps,

Thanks,

Maria

 

[tufguy]

Ok so we can say "My friend must be sleeping before 5 everyday" and for the last one you are saying that we can use "may have done" instead of "would have done" for the future situation. I am asking this because these expressions are basically used for the past but I have heard people use these for the future reference also.

 

[Raymott]

Ok so we can say "My friend must be sleeping before 5 everyday" and for the last one you are saying that we can use "may have done" instead of "would have done" for the future situation. I am asking this because these expressions are basically used for the past but I have heard people use these for the future reference also.

As far as I understand your questions (are they?):
1. Yes, you can say "My friend must be sleeping before 5 o'clock everyday" if that is what you believe is happening based upon some evidence.
2. No, you can't use "may have done" to mean "would have done".
3. I doubt you would have heard people using the above two expressions to refer to the future. Whether you heard it or not, it's wrong.

 

[tufguy]

No, would have done is used for the past situation, that is what I know, but can we use May have done for future as "mtreadaway" has mentioned "By 2015, I may/might have completed my Master's", so is it not correct.

 

[Raymott]

No, would have done is used for the past situation, that is what I know, but can we use May have done for future as "mtreadaway" has mentioned "By 2015, I may/might have completed my Master's", so is it not correct.

Sorry, I did misunderstand your question.
Indeed, you can use "may have completed" in that sentence to refer to the future. "Would have done" is more difficult. "If I had studied harder, I would have completed my Masters by 2015". But you didn't, so it's not going to happen. On the other hand, "I will study hard, and I will have completed my Masters by 2015" obviously refers to the future.

 

[tufguy]

Ok so it is correct to use "May / Might have done for the future reference".

 

[Raymott]

Ok so it is correct to use "May / Might have done for the future reference".

It's correct if it's used in an appropriate sentence for the right context.
It's not correct to say "I may have done it tomorrow" if you mean "I may do it tomorrow".