Modal verbs — would, can, could, may, should, will — carry both time and politeness, and Indian English uses them in some distinctive ways. You may hear "I would be joining the call at five" meaning "I will join at five", "You can send me the file" meaning "Please send me the file", "We should be getting the shipment tomorrow" meaning "We expect it tomorrow", or "May I know your name?" as a polite question. What you will learn: • "Would" for plain future • "Would" for politeness • "Can" and "You can" as requests • "Should", "May", "Might" and "Could" • "Will" and "Shall" • Separating politeness from time • Practice: decode the sentence • Listening strategies • Self-check questions to test your ear Level: B1–B2. Self-study: listen, then take the quizzes. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.