Modal Verbs

Question

Chris' comment below about modal verbs (All modal verbs, like pouvoir or devoir require the infinitive, no matter which tense or mode they are in.) was an eye-opener for me as to how pouvoir and devoir fit in the big picture. Perhaps a short paragraph about modal verbs in general would be useful to others. Thanks!

Accepted Answer

Hi William,
This is because of the rule that when two verbs follow each other, the second one is in the infinitive. This is not particular to modal verbs ( although they are followed by a second verb).
e.g.

Je préfère aller au cinéma qu'à la piscine
Il semble perdre tous ses crayons
Nou allons aller chez lui plus tard

etc.
But thank you for pointing this out!

Answer

Thank you for this exchange. I was perplexed about the this issue.