When use can and when could?
Table of Contents
When use can and when could?
Uses of Can and Could
- Ability.
- Can expresses ability. Cannot (can’t) shows inability.
- Could.
- Could is the past tense of can. It is used to talk about ability that existed in the past.
- Indirect speech.
- Could is the past tense of can in indirect speech.
- Possibility or uncertainty.
- Could may express possibility or uncertainty.
Where we can use could and can?
The modal verbs can and could represent the ability of a person or thing in doing something. However, there is a difference in their usage, as ‘can’ is used in present situation, whereas we can use ‘could’ for talking about a past ability. Both are followed by a base form of the verb.
Can & could sentence?
She can speak several languages. He can swim like a fish. She could speak several languages. They couldn’t dance very well.
What to use can you or could you?
“Could” is the polite form of “can”—so both are correct, but we use them in different situations. We use “can” when we are telling someone to do something. We use “could” when we are making a request.
Can and could modals?
Let’s talk about using the modal verbs can and could. We all know how important it is to be able to express in English the ability or the possibility to do something, but English grammar can be tricky. So can and could are modal auxiliary verbs that express an ability, permission, request, offer or opportunity.
Can I use could for future?
We often use could to express possibility in the present and the future.
Could or can you please?
Both are correct. The first is more direct, and the second is more polite. Could you please . . . gives slightly more room for refusal than Can you please . . .
Could you or can 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.
Can could Would grammar?
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.
Could you and can you difference?
Originally Answered: What is the difference between can you and could you? ‘Can you’ is used to question the ability of the person you are directing this statement at, while ‘could you’ is a request irrespective of whether the person possesses the ability to do what is being asked of him/her.
Could you please vs Can you please?
We also use ‘could’ to ask permission; it is more polite or formal than ‘can’. Changing the word order to “could you please” is no more or less polite – it’s a matter of style. whether requests starting with “Please can/could you…” render the same degree of politeness as those that start with “Could you please…”.
Can you could you difference?