When use can and could?

When use can and could?

Can, like could and would, is used to ask a polite question, but can is only used to ask permission to do or say something (“Can I borrow your car?” “Can I get you something to drink?”). Could is the past tense of can, but it also has uses apart from that–and that is where the confusion lies.

Can and could learning English?

Both these verbs indicate ability in some respect. The use of could is usual in clauses that contain a reference to past time. Morag can speak French quite well now.

What to use can you or could you?

All are grammatically correct. Both are fine grammatically, but it appears that you are aiming for a relatively formal setting in which case “Could” is slightly more formal-sounding. Neither would be incorrect, however.

How do you use can?

Can: uses

1. Permission. We often use can to ask for or give permission:
2. Ability. We often use can to talk about ability to do something in the present or future:
3. General truths.
4. Possibility.
5. Guessing and predicting: can’t as the negative of must.
6. Requests.
7. Reproaches.
8. Offers.

What is the difference between would and could?

Could is the past tense form of the verb ‘can’ which indicates a past ability of someone or possibility of an action or happening. On the other hand, would is the past of ‘will’ which indicates the intent or willingness of a person, in future, but from the past situation.

Could you or can you or would you?

‘Could You’ imply that somebody has the ability to do something. ‘Could’ can also be termed as Can in the grammar but have a distinct meaning. ‘Could’ is used in case if someone is requesting to do something. ‘Would You’ is similar to ‘Could You’, but ‘Would You’ is an appropriate way of asking something to someone.

Could vs would?

Could and would are related, but they mean different things. Could expresses possibility, while would expresses certainty and intent. A good way to remember the differences between these two words is simply to bring each word back to its root verb. Could is the past tense of can.

What is the difference between could and might?

Difference Between Would and Might. The word “might,” on the other hand, is used to express possibility and to make suggestions and requests. It is also used to express permission, probability, and a possibility in the past or of a present condition which is in conflict with a fact. The word “might” comes from the Old English word “meahte”…

Is could a verb?

When using as a model verb or an auxiliary verb the verb “could” stays in its base form.

Could does not change form according to the subject.

Could is followed by a main verb. The main verb also stays in its base form.

Could not or cannot?

Cannot should always be spelled as a single word. Cannot can be further shortened into the contraction can’t. Can not should only be used when not is part of another phrase. Now that you know the difference between cannot and can not, you don’t need to worry about misusing either of them.