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Home » SE QNS » When should we use “can” and “could”?

When should we use “can” and “could”?

Posted by Mohan
» SE QNS
» Monday, March 2, 2020

When should we use “can” and “could”?

Answer:

Let’s look at CAN and COULD in 5 different steps:
 1 ability
 2 possibility
 3 permission
 4 request
 5 offer

✳CAN = present ability
 • I can speak English very well.
 • I have this ability.
 • I can party all night, every night.
 • I have this ability.
 • I can make the world’s best tiramisu.
 • I have this ability.

✳COULD = past ability
 • I could speak English very well.
 • I had this past ability.
 • I could party all night, every night.
 • I had this past ability.
 • When I was at uni, I could study for hours. Now I can’t.
 • I had this past ability.

✳CAN = present possibility
 • England can be very expensive.
 • This is possible.
 • Be careful. The noodles in this restaurant can be very spicy even though I always say ‘No chili please!’.
 • This is possible.

✳COULD = possibility in general
 • You can use ‘could‘ for the past, present or future. The context of the situation/ sentence will tell you if ‘could’ is referring to the past, present or future.
 • My granddad could either be a very nice person, or he could be a horrible person. It always depended on the day.
 • These are two past possibilities.
 • If we don’t want to cook tonight, we could go out. What do you think?
 • This is a future possibility.

✳COULD HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
 • We use ‘could have + past participle‘ when we are speaking about a past hypothetical situation. This is something that did NOT happen.

✳CAN = informal permission
✳COULD = formal permission
 • Can I borrow your phone? (informal)
 • Could I borrow your phone? (formal)
We only use CAN when we give permission. Not COULD.

✳CAN = informal request
✳COULD = polite request
(Both are polite if you use ‘please’, but CAN is more informal.)
 • Can you close the window please? (informal)
 • Could you close the window please? (more polite)

✳POLITE OFFER – Can you help someone?
Use either CAN or COULD!
 • I can/could drive you to the airport if you need me to.
 • I can/could help you with your essay if you want.

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