The paper deals with the analysis of English modal verbs CAN and COULD and modal Equivalent TO BE ABLE TO with a focus on their semantics roles and translation into Ukrainian. Applying a corpus approach, the paper investigates how these modal verbs express nuanced meanings such as possibility, ability, permission, requests, and suggestions in the novel’s dialogues and narrative. The following research reveals that modal verbs ‘can’ and ‘could’ predominantly convey ability and possibility, while modal equivalent ‘to be able to’ is frequently employed in negative contexts or in contexts with the future meaning. In Ukrainian translation, these meanings are rendered through verbs like ‘могти / уміти’, lexical constructions such as ‘мати змогу’, particles, or prosodic means, in many cases lacking corresponding equivalents, which requires the usage of translation transformations. The most common transformations include omission, modulation, transposition, and grammatical replacement, reflecting adaptions to Ukrainian linguistic and cultural norms. This research underscores the challenges of preserving modal nuances across languages, offering practical insights, and advancing linguistic studies for translators on modality. The corpus approach ensures a robust analysis of frequency, context, and translation strategies, highlighting the need for creative approaches to achieve semantic and stylistic adequacy in literary translation.