In what cases is can t written? Modal verb CAN (could). Difference between can and be able to

Everything you need to know about the modal verb 'Can':

— translation, transcription and pronunciation;
- features of the modal verb;
— ‘Can’ in the present, past and future;
- ‘Can’ in negative and interrogative form;
- use of the verb 'Can' - rules and examples;

The modal verb ‘Can’ is translated into Russian: I can, I can, I can handle it, it’s possible.

Transcription: 'Can' - .
In sentences, the sound 'a' is swallowed and pronounced as - kn - kn.

Pronunciation of 'Can'

Features of the modal verb 'Can'

1. There is no particle - to - between the verb 'can' and another verb

He can go shopping tomorrow. X

2. There is no ending - s - at the end of the verb 'can'

He can't go shopping tomorrow. X
He can go shopping tomorrow. Correct option.

3. At the end of the second verb, the ending -s- is also not placed.

He can go shopping tomorrow. X
He can go shopping tomorrow. Correct option.

4. The ing form is not used.

He can't swim. X
He can swim. Correct option.

5. Not used in the future tense with the auxiliary verb will.

I will can help you. X
I can help you. Correct option.

6. The interrogative form is formed without an auxiliary verb - Do -

Do you can walk? X
Can you walk? Correct option.

7. The negative form is formed using the particle not, it is placed after the modal verb.

She does not sing. X
She can't sing. Correct option.

Forms of the verb 'Can' - present, future and past tense

PRESENT - I can walk. I can walk.
PAST - I could walk. I could walk.
FUTURE - I will be able to walk. I'll be able to walk.

'Can' in negative form

Can’t - can’t - I can’t.
You can’t - you can’t.
She/he can’t - she/he cannot.
They/we/ - they/we cannot.

I can't believe it. I can not believe.
He can't stay long. He can't stay long.
She can't jump. She can't jump.

'Can' in interrogative form

Can I ask you? Can I ask you? Can I ask you something?
Can she write me? Can she text me? Can she write to you?
Can he meet me? Can he meet me?

Use of the verb 'Can'

1. When we have the skill/ability to do something:

I can drive a car. I can drive a car.
He can't speak Japanese. He can't speak Japanese.
Can you cook? Can you cook?

2. When to ask permission:

Can I go for a walk? Can I go for a walk?
Can I come in? Can I come in?
Can I come today? Can I come today?

3. When to ask for something:

Can I have some more coffee? Can I get some more coffee?
Can I use your tablet? Can I use your tablet?
Can you call me back? Can you call me back?
Can you send me your photo? Can you send me your picture?

4. When to get permission:

You can take this bike. You can take this bicycle.
You can do what you want. You can do whatever you like.

Sentences with Can + be construction

Yes, it can be confusing.
Yes, it can be confusing.

English can be strange.
English can be strange.

This can't be true.
It can not be true.

This can be real.
This could be real.

The world can be better.
The world could be a better place.

I can be a super friend.
I can be a very good friend.

Modal verb can(can) and its form could(could) is the most common modal verb in English. We use it to show that we can, know how, are capable of doing something. In this article we will get acquainted with all the features of the modal verb can (could).

The first thing to remember is after can or could there must be another verb. After all, on my own can does not report an action, but only shows our attitude towards it: “I can do some action.” And after this “I can” it is necessary to add “I can do what?”: can dance(I can dance) can sing(I can sing), etc.

And the second thing that must not be forgotten is after can we don't put to: can speak English. We are accustomed to the fact that two verbs in English must be related to each other using to: decide to drink coffee(decide to have coffee) or offer to go for a walk(offer to go for a walk). But modal can works without to.

We noted that this modal verb has two forms: can And could. We use these forms with any subject, both singular and plural.

My friend can speak Japanese. - My friend knows how speak Japanese.

My friends can dance salsa. - My friends can dance salsa.

What's the difference between can And could? Can used when someone knows how to do something at present, and could– when someone knew how to do something in the past, now, most likely, they no longer know how.

He can swim. - He can swim.

He could swim. - He knew how swim.

How to build a sentence with can (could)

In the table we clearly show how to use can V different types proposals.

And in the question, as expected, the word order will be slightly different.

Let's look at a few features of use can:

• Can (could) is always between the subject and the predicate.
• To ask questions, we will simply reschedule can And could first place, there is no need to add anything else.
• Particle in negation not joins can (could), forming the shape cannot (could not). In colloquial speech we usually cannot reduce to can't (couldn't). By the way, cannot– this is the only modal that merges with the particle not when writing. Do you know how to pronounce it correctly? can't: /kɑːnt/ or / kænt/? There is a British variant of pronunciation - / /. And teacher Ronnie will teach you the American version of pronunciation in his video.

What does the modal verb can (could) mean?

The easiest way to understand the meaning is can (could) with examples. We express with can:

1. The mental or physical ability to do something.

   In this case can (could) is usually translated as “to be able”, “to be able to”.

   I can’t speak to you now but I can call you in the evening. – I can’t talk to you now, but I can call you in the evening.

   He could speak French. - He could speak French.

   Can you drive a car? - Can you drive a car?

2. Commonly accepted statements

We use can, when we want to show that some statement is true in most cases. Here we translate can as in "can".

The vacuum can frighten your cat. – A vacuum cleaner can scare your cat. (as a rule, cats are scared of vacuum cleaners, but not all)

In New York it can be difficult to rent an apartment. – It can be difficult to rent an apartment in New York.

Flowers can grow faster if they get a lot of sunshine. – Flowers can grow faster if they receive a lot of sunlight.

It should be noted that we do not use the form could to express this meaning.

3. Permission, request, prohibition.

   There are several patterns here: a request is usually conveyed through a question, permission through a statement, and a prohibition through a denial. If we see a request or permission in a sentence, we translate can the verb “to be able”, the prohibition is most often translated by the word “impossible”.

   – Can I take your car for the weekend? – Can I borrow your car for the weekend? (request)
   – Yes, you can. - Yes you can. (permission)
   – But you can’t exceed the speed limit. – But you can’t exceed the speed limit. (ban)

   We can express our request using can And could. Both options are often used in speech, only such requests differ in the degree of politeness. Let's look at examples:

   Can you tell me where the nearest bus station is? – Can you tell me where the nearest bus stop is? (this kind of treatment is more typical if you are communicating with a person of the same age)

   Could you tell me where the nearest bus stop is? – Could you tell me where the nearest bus stop is? (this is a more polite question; more often the British will use this option in order to be as polite and courteous as possible in the conversation)

   With the help can we can not only ask for permission, but also propose something ourselves. To do this we use the question form.

   Can I offer you a cup of tea? – Can I offer you a cup of tea?

   Can I help you choose a dress for the party? – Can I help you choose a dress for the party?

   Look interesting video from the teacher Alex, in which he, to those already known to us can And could, added a verb may.

   • You can also learn about the features of the modal verb may in the article “”.
4. Surprise, doubt, disbelief.

   This function also has its own patterns: doubt and mistrust are usually found in negative sentences, and surprise - in interrogatives. The verb is translated can (could) in such cases with the words “really”, “can’t be”, “hardly”, “can’t believe”, “possibly”, “probably”.

   Can these shoes cost so much money? - Are these shoes really worth that much? (astonishment)

   He can't work all day round. - It can’t be that he works around the clock. (mistrust)

   Do you know that could is a past tense form can. But if we want to express doubt in the past, we use the form can't have.

   He can’t have fallen asleep at the meeting. “It’s impossible that he fell asleep during the meeting.”

   They can't have missed the last bus. “I can’t believe they missed the last bus.”

   If someone violated a prohibition or did not listen to advice, then you can reproach him for this, using the same verb can. There is, however, one peculiarity: such sentences are constructed in the form of a negative question.

   Can’t you just stop telling silly jokes to the guests? “Can you just stop telling stupid jokes to your guests?”

   Can't you get along with her friends? – Can’t you communicate normally with her friends?

Set expressions with the verb can (could)

Can (could) occurs in some established expressions. Here are a few of the most common ones:

1. Can’t (couldn’t) but do something– there was nothing left but.
   

   I couldn't but agree with him. “I had no choice but to agree with him.”

2. Couldn't help doing something- I couldn’t resist; couldn't help but.
   

   I couldn't help laughing. – I couldn’t help but laugh.

3. Can’t stand something/somebody– I can’t stand something/someone.
   

   I can't stand him. – I can’t stand him.

To make sure that the modal verb can (could) is well remembered by you, take the test and keep our convenient sign for yourself.

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Using the modal verb can (could)

Modal verb could has the meaning of probability or possibility in the past. It can be used to express requests and suggestions. Also verb could often used in conditional sentences as a conditional form of a verb can .

For example:
Extreme rain could cause the river to flood the city.
Due to heavy rains the river could flood the city. ( Expresses probability.)

Nancy could ski like a pro by the age of 11.
By the age of 11, Nancy was already knew how ski like a pro. ( Expresses a possibility in the past.)

You could see a movie or go out to dinner.
You we could watch a movie or go out to dinner. ( Expresses a proposal.)

Could I use your computer to email my boss?
Couldn't should I use your computer to send an email to my boss? ( Expresses a request.)

We could go on the trip if I didn't have to work this weekend.
We we could somewhere to go if I didn't have to work this weekend. ( Conditional offer.)

Using the modal verb could in the present, past and future tenses

In most cases, the use of modal verbs in the past and future tenses is different from other verbs. The table below shows use of a modal verb could in different situations.

Please note that in the meaning of a request:

- can has a neutral shade:

Can can you help me?
You can help me?

- could has a more polite connotation:

Could can you help me?
Could you will you help me?

- may has a more formal tone:

May I come in?
Allow me to come in?

Modal verbs are verbs that express a person’s assessment of the surrounding reality. Without denoting an action, they express an attitude towards the action.

The action (meaning) itself is expressed by the infinitive of the verb (but without the particle to!), standing after the modal, therefore they are usually not used separately from semantic ones.

One of the most common and frequently used modal verbs is can (could). Let's consider the features of its use.

Rules for using the verbs can and could

The verb can, like other modal verbs, has grammatical features:

• The verb can does not change form for various persons and numbers (in the third person singular there is no ending –s).
• Has no impersonal forms(that is, it does not form , and ).
• The verb can has no . In the past tense, this verb goes into the form could, and to form the future tense, they use the equivalent equivalent to be able to (to be able to do something).

I could play football from morning till night when I was a child.– I could play football from morning to night when I was a child.

I will be able to send you an answer tomorrow after breakfast.– I can send you an answer tomorrow after breakfast.

Note: to be able to has a slightly different meaning. Can expresses ability, possibility in a general sense, while to be able to – the ability to do something at a certain point in time.

The difference can be felt in the following example:

I can play the piano, but I am not able to do it at the moment because my hand is broken.– I know how to play the piano, but I won’t be able to play now (I don’t have the opportunity) because my arm is broken.

When forming negatives and questions with modal verbs, auxiliary verbs are not used.

To form a question, can (could) is simply placed before the subject:

Can you give me a screwdriver?-Can you give me a screwdriver?

There are two entries for negation with can - full and abbreviated:

• Cannot(only continuous writing) – can’t (in the present tense);
• Could not– couldn’t (in the past).

The abbreviated form is used in informal, colloquial speech.

You can’t just sit and watch TV all day long. – You can't just sit and watch TV all day.

Use of the verb can (lexical meaning of can)

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Negations with verbs can (could)

They are built without auxiliary verbs, the particle not is placed after the verb can/could.

Examples:

You cannot (can’t) act this way, there are children all around.“You can’t behave like that, there are children around here.”

Jake could not (couldn’t) understand anything at the lesson yesterday.– Jake couldn’t understand anything during class yesterday.

Interrogative sentences with verbs can/could

To construct a question, let’s change the word order characteristic of an affirmative sentence: Can/could + subject + semantic verb + other members of the sentence.

Examples:

Can you find any mistakes in this text?– Can you find errors in this text?

Could you read when you were four years old? – Did you know how to read when you were four years old?

Using interrogative sentences with can (could) they often express a request, which is usually translated into Russian as “Could you,” “allow”:

Can I ask you a couple of questions?– Can I ask you a couple of questions? (May I ask you a couple of questions?)

Could you give me that juicy piece of meat? – Could you pass me that juicy piece of meat?

Constructing questions with can (could) with clarifying words

For additional information, please clarify:

• Who (who)
• What (what)
• Where (where)
• When
• Which (which)
• Why (why)

Remains the same as in an interrogative sentence without qualifying words, but a qualifying word is placed before can/could:

Specifying word + can/could + subject + semantic verb + other parts of the sentence.

Examples:

Who can show me the city?– Who can show me the city?

What can Peter do to save the situation?– What should Peter do to save the situation?

Note. In questions with clarifying words, the verb can (could) is often not translated:

Where can I find the best restaurant?– Where can I find the best restaurant?

Who can speak German? – Does anyone speak German?

Set expressions with can

Let's list them:

• Can't stand- I can’t stand it, I can’t stand it
• Can't help doing something– I can’t help but do something (I can’t resist doing something)
• Can't take my eyes off her/him– I can’t take my eyes off him/her
• Can't think straight– I can’t concentrate
• Can't get you out of my head- I can’t get you out of my head
• Can't get enough of something– I can’t get enough of anything

Summarize:

• The verb can does not indicate action, and therefore is used only together with semantic verbs;
• Could is, but it can also signify in some senses;
• with can, as well as negative ones, are constructed without the use of auxiliary verbs, simply by changing the word order (for questions) and adding a negative particle (for negation);
• Meaning of the verb can: ability, skill, resolution, doubt (surprise);
• When expressing the meaning of doubt, distrust using could instead of can will make you less categorical and rigid;
• If you ask permission for someone, then using could instead of can will make the tone more polite;
• There are many set expressions with can, which are better to learn.

In this tutorial we will discuss the use of modal verb can, and also consider modal verb could V English language.

Modal verb can in English

can - can, I can

You can take my car. You can take my car.

A few rules to remember:

1. Can is independent, so we do not use the particle to before the next semantic verb.

I can go. I can go.

2. Can is always used WITHOUT auxiliary verbs. For negation, we add the particle not to can. When asked, can is moved to the beginning.

I can't take you with me. I can't take you with me.

I can't go with them. I can't go with them.

You can't help us. Get away! You can't help us. Leave!

Can you do the same? Can you do the same?

Why can"t you believe me? Why can't you believe me?

Can you swim? You can swim?

Can you help me? You can help me?

3. Can is only used in the present tense. In the future tense, the verb can can be expressed by the phrase to be able to. For the past tense, the modal verb could is used (more on this a little later).

My friend Mark will be able to speak English. My friend Mark will be able to speak English.

Mark will not be able to work with Rachel. Mark won't be able to work with Rachel.

Modal verb could in English

could - can, I can, could

1. Could is the past tense of the modal verb can. But there is a small nuance here. When we talk about what we could have done in the past at any (long) point in time, then we use could, but if we are talking about a specific situation, then you should use was (were) able to. Couldn't can be used in any situation (in a specific situation, or when talking about some long time in the past).

When he went to kindergarten, he already could talk. When he went to kindergarten, he could already speak.

Did you cancel the order? Yes I was able to cancel this order. Have you canceled your order? Yes, I was able to cancel this order.

Yesterday I was so tired and I couldn't do anything. Yesterday I was so tired and couldn't do anything.