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I've heard someone use two modals for the same verb more than once, in an American film. It looked like an old movie, perhaps from the 70s. The other sentence was: "I might could help you." I wonder whether "might could" is an idiom. Is it?

Centaurus
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    It's common in some Southern dialects, but ungrammatical elsewhere in the U.S. And "might could" means something different than either "might" or "could"; it means "it is possible that I am/will be able to help you". – Peter Shor Nov 01 '14 at 15:22
  • @PeterShor "And "might could" means something different than either "might" or "could"" Your explanation "it is possible that..." doesn't bear you out, though. (might=possible, could=would be able) – Centaurus Nov 01 '14 at 15:48
  • Maybe I wasn't clear; I meant it means something different than either "might" or "could" means alone: might means possible and could means to be able, and might could has both their meanings. In standard English you can't use them together, and there's no single modal that means the same as "might could". You would have to say "It's possible that I could help you" or "I might be able to help you". – Peter Shor Nov 01 '14 at 15:59
  • "Maybe he could come ..." ? – Kris Nov 01 '14 at 16:04
  • @PeterShor I am just puzzled as to how such a convoluted, albeit logical, term could become established in the southern United States, of all places. It seems so much easier to say might be able. – WS2 Nov 01 '14 at 19:56
  • @WS2: They probably got it from immigrants from Scotland. – Peter Shor Nov 01 '14 at 20:00
  • Please search the site. – anongoodnurse Nov 01 '14 at 20:02
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    A related Southernism is "should oughta" – Jim Mack Nov 01 '14 at 21:32

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