Can vs. Could: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Published on January 14, 2024
Can indicates ability, permission, or possibility in the present. Could is used for the same purposes but in the past or for more hypothetical or polite situations.
Key Differences
Can is used to express ability or capacity in the present tense. For example, saying "I can swim" implies the speaker is currently capable of swimming. Could is the past tense form of can and is used to refer to abilities or capacities that existed in the past, like in "I could swim when I was a child," implying the speaker had the ability to swim in their childhood.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
In terms of permission, can is used to request or grant permission in a more direct and informal way, as in "Can I open the window?" Could, however, is used for permission in a more polite or formal context, or in indirect questions. For instance, "Could I open the window?" is a more polite way of asking for permission.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
When expressing possibility, can suggests that something is likely or possible now, like "It can rain in the evening." Could is used to indicate a hypothetical situation or less definite possibility, often in conditional sentences, such as "It could rain if the clouds gather."
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
Can is also used in offers or suggestions, typically in a more casual manner, like "Can I help you with that?" Could in this context often implies a more polite or tentative offer, such as "Could I help you with that?"
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
For general ability, can is straightforward and factual, usually relating to skills or capabilities. Could is more nuanced, often used to express abilities in a hypothetical or speculative sense, or to reflect modesty or uncertainty about one's abilities.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
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Comparison Chart
Use for Ability
Current ability or capacity
Past ability, hypothetical or polite request
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Jan 14, 2024
Use for Permission
Direct, informal permission
Polite, formal, or indirect permission
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Jan 14, 2024
Use for Possibility
Likely or possible now
Hypothetical or less definite possibility
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Jan 14, 2024
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Can and Could Definitions
Can
To be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to.
She can solve complex math problems easily.
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Dec 15, 2023
Could
To suggest a possibility or hypothetical situation.
If you tried harder, you could improve your grades.
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Dec 15, 2023
Could
Past tense of can; used to indicate ability in the past.
When I was younger, I could run a mile in six minutes.
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Dec 15, 2023
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Could
To indicate something that is theoretically possible.
With more funding, they could expand their research.
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Dec 15, 2023
Can
An airtight container, usually made of tin-coated iron, in which foods or beverages are preserved.
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Dec 13, 2023
Could
Used to express a wish or hope.
I wish I could travel around the world.
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Dec 15, 2023
Could
Used to make polite requests.
Could you please help me with this report?
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Dec 15, 2023
Could
Used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).
I think he could do it if he really wanted to.
I wish I could fly!
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Dec 13, 2023
Could
Used to politely ask for permission to do something.
Could I borrow your coat?
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Dec 13, 2023
Could
Used to politely ask for someone else to do something.
Could you proofread this email?
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 13, 2023
Can
To seal in an airtight container for future use; preserve
Canning peaches.
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Dec 13, 2023
Could
Used to show the possibility that something might happen.
We could rearrange the time if you like.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
(Slang) To make a recording of
Can the audience's applause for a TV comedy show.
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Dec 13, 2023
Could
Used to suggest something.
You could try adding more salt to the soup.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To put an end or stop to
Canned the TV show after one season.
Told the students to can the chatter.
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Dec 13, 2023
Could
Something that could happen, or could be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To solicit cash donations for a charity or other organization such as a club or amateur sports team by holding out a can or other container in a public place.
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Dec 13, 2023
Could
Was, should be, or would be, able, capable, or susceptible. Used as an auxiliary, in the past tense or in the conditional present.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To know how to; to be able to.
She can speak English, French, and German.
I can play football.
Can you remember your fifth birthday?
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
May; to be permitted or enabled to.
You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.
Can I use your pen?
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
(modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have the potential to; be possible.
Can it be Friday already?
Teenagers can really try their parents' patience.
Animals can experience emotions.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
Used with verbs of perception.
Can you hear that?.
I can feel the baby moving inside me.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can.
They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
(transitive) To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium, but sometimes of plastic, and with a carrying handle over the top.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
A chamber pot, now a toilet or lavatory.
Shit or get off the can.
Bob's in the can. You can wait a few minutes or just leave it with me.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
(slang) Jail or prison.
Bob's in the can. He won't be back for a few years.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
(nautical) A cube-shaped buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
An obs. form of began, imp. & p. p. of Begin, sometimes used in old poetry. [See Gan.]
With gentle words he can faile gree.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
A drinking cup; a vessel for holding liquids.
Fill the cup and fill can,Have a rouse before the morn.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
A vessel or case of tinned iron or of sheet metal, of various forms, but usually cylindrical; as, a can of tomatoes; an oil can; a milk can.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To know; to understand.
I can rimes of Rodin Hood.
I can no Latin, quod she.
Let the priest in surplice white,That defunctive music can.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To be able to do; to have power or influence.
The will of Him who all things can.
For what, alas, can these my single arms?
Mæcænas and Agrippa, who can most with Cæsar.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To be able; - followed by an infinitive without to; as, I can go, but do not wish to.
Yet he could not but acknowledge to himself that there was something calculated to impress awe, . . . in the sudden appearances and vanishings . . . of the masque
Tom felt that this was a rebuff for him, and could not but understand it as a left-handed hit at his employer.
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on;
He deserves a good kick in the butt
Are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
Terminate the employment of;
The boss fired his secretary today
The company terminated 25% of its workers
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Dec 13, 2023
Can
To have permission to; be allowed to.
Can I use your laptop for my presentation?
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Dec 15, 2023
Can
To have the possibility or potential.
Careless driving can lead to serious accidents.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 15, 2023
Can
To be capable of; have the qualities needed to.
This software can handle large amounts of data.
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Dec 15, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
What does 'can' express in a sentence?
Ability, permission, or possibility in the present.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
How is 'could' used differently from 'can'?
For past abilities, polite requests, or hypothetical situations.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
Can 'could' be used for past tense situations?
Yes, to indicate past abilities or situations.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
Can 'can' indicate a future possibility?
Yes, for immediate or very likely future events.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
Is 'could' appropriate for formal communication?
Yes, especially for polite requests or suggestions.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
How do 'can' and 'could' differ in certainty?
'Can' is more certain, 'could' is more speculative.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
Can 'can' be used in conditional sentences?
Yes, but it's less common than 'could'.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
Can 'could' be used for past habits?
Yes, to describe habitual actions in the past.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
How does 'could' show uncertainty?
By implying that something is possible but not certain.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
Is 'could' ever used for present situations?
Rarely, unless in hypothetical or polite contexts.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
How does 'could' imply potential?
By suggesting what might be possible under different circumstances.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 14, 2024
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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