Last time we added four A2 lessons on the future, adverbs, and what you love doing — will, the present continuous for arrangements, adverbs of manner, and verbs + -ing.
This time we look at the small words that carry a surprising amount of meaning: what you must do, what you should do, what you're able to do — and how to say why you do it at all.
🆕 Four New A2 Lessons
We've added four new lessons to the A2 level, in four everyday families:
- Rules and necessity — I have to go, You mustn't be late.
- Advice — You should rest.
- Ability beyond can — I'll be able to help.
- Saying why — I went out to buy milk.
👉 You'll find them all on the English A2 learning path.
📋 Rules and Necessity
When something is necessary — a rule, a duty, a real need — English gives you two main ways to say it: have to and must. Most of the time they overlap, and have to is the safe everyday choice, because it works in every tense (had to, will have to) and makes its questions and negatives with do / does / did.
The part worth getting right is the negatives, which are almost opposites: don't have to means it isn't necessary (You don't have to come — your choice), while mustn't means it's forbidden (You mustn't touch that).
👉 Have to / must (obligation) sorts out the two forms, where the obligation comes from, and the negatives that trip everyone up — plus the reminder that must has no past, so a past obligation becomes ✅ I had to work (never ❌ I must worked).
💡 Giving and Asking for Advice
To say what's a good idea, English reaches for one small word: should. It's a modal, so it never changes form, and the verb after it is always the plain base form — no to, no -s, no -ed: You should rest. You shouldn't worry.
To ask for advice, just put should before the subject: Should I call her? And to soften advice, English speakers often start with I think you should… or I don't think you should….
👉 Should (advice) covers the simple modal pattern, questions and short answers, the natural I think you should… opener, and the slips to avoid — ❌ You should to rest → ✅ You should rest.
💪 Ability Beyond Can
You already know can for ability: I can swim. The trouble is that can only has two forms — can and could — so the moment you need ability in the future, after another verb, or in the perfect, it runs out. That's where be able to steps in: I'll be able to help, I want to be able to speak French.
There's one tricky corner, too: for a single moment when someone actually managed something, English prefers was/were able to over could — ✅ The traffic was terrible, but we were able to get there on time.
👉 Be able to (ability) shows the be + able to + base verb pattern across tenses, exactly when to reach for it instead of can, and the could vs was/were able to distinction for the past. Watch the classic slip: ❌ I will can help → ✅ I will be able to help.
🎯 Saying Why
Once you can talk about what you must, should, and can do, the natural next question is why. To explain the goal of an action, English uses a simple pattern: to + the base verb. I went to the shop to buy milk.
The thing to watch is the difference between to and for: use to before a verb (to buy bread) but for before a noun (for some bread) — never for in front of a verb.
👉 Infinitive of purpose (to + verb) covers the basic pattern, how it answers a why question, the more formal in order to / so as to, and the mistake almost everyone makes — ❌ I came here for learn English → ✅ I came here to learn English.
🆓 Still Free, Still Open
Like everything in the curriculum, all four lessons are free to read — no account, no login, no paywall. Each one ends with a short quick-check so you can test yourself on the spot.
Bookmark them, share them, come back whenever a must / mustn't or to / for moment trips you up.
⭐ Take a Look
The curriculum keeps growing, one lesson at a time.
👉 Open the English A2 learning path, pick the lesson you need today, and take the next confident step in your English.