auxiliary, in grammar, a helping element, typically a verb, that adds meaning to the basic meaning of the main verb in a clause. Auxiliaries can convey information about tense, mood, person, and number. An auxiliary verb occurs with a main verb that is in the form of an infinitive or a participle.
English has a rich system of auxiliaries. English auxiliary verbs include the modal verbs, which may express such notions as possibility (“may,” “might,” “can,” “could”) or necessity (“must”). In “Sam should write to his mother,” the modal verb “should” adds the sense of obligation to the main verb “write.” Other English auxiliaries are “will” and “shall,” which often indicate futurity, among other meanings, and “would,” which usually indicates desire or intent. Auxiliaries also help form the passive voice.
Some auxiliary verbs condition an associated change in or addition to the main verb, such as the English expanded form in “Mary is washing her hair now,” in which the auxiliary verb “is” occurs with the present participle “washing.” Another example is the French past indefinite form, as in il a donné and its English equivalent “he has given,” in which there is not only an auxiliary verb (French avoir, English “have”) but also a change of the main verb to the past participle.