2023 LoveToKnow Media. They could be at home. Thats not good you should go to the doctor., I want to make more friends, but I dont know how. could modal verb (SHOULD) used for saying, especially angrily, what you think someone else should do: Well, you could try to look a little more enthusiastic! Present perfect simple or present perfect continuous? In high school, I would do my homework on the bus. We use can: We dont usually use could to talk about single events that happened in the past. If you say that someone could do something, you mean that they have the ability to do it, but they don't in fact do it. Could Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster could auxiliary verb kd, kud past tense of can used in auxiliary function in the past We found we could go. You really __________ stay up so late. Can you use these words interchangeably or not? I am certain that it is blue. Helping verbs have a great name, because they help the main verb in the sentence. She could have been the champion if her opponent hadnt cheated. We knew they were in there. (permission), I could speak French fluently when I was younger. Both of these words start with the same letter as their root verb, which makes them easy to remember. He came and spoke to me, but I couldnt remember his name. Ive got to be in the meeting at 10 and the train doesnt get in until 10.15. What does would mean? could / ( kd) / verb (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive) used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can 1 used as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional We use could to ask for permission. Invitations should be definite. Id love to, but I actually have other plans tonight., Would you like to see some pictures from my vacation? SMART Vocabulary: palavras e frases relacionadas Gramtica Can, could or may: typical errors In high school, I could dunk a basketball. I could do it next week if you helped me. Helen, _________ you come over here for a minute? The simple past tense form of can is could. To form the negative of be able to, you either put not or another negative word in front of able, or you use the expression be unable to. 2. a used to say that something is possible. 2. We could hear voices inside. could modal verb (SHOULD) used for saying, especially angrily, what you think someone else should do: Well, you could try to look a little more enthusiastic! You use could to say that there is a possibility that something is or will be true. In both of these examples, could is expressing possibility: things that could have been true or things that could yet come true. Here's How. Could is often used in reporting structures. 10. Need synonyms for could? If loading fails, click here to try again. I waited ages for you - you I waited ages for you - you could have said that you weren't coming! I would to buy a new car if I had the money. By signing in, you agree to our Terms and Conditions (= Maybe they will come by car.) Could is a verb with many senses. Need synonyms for could? Doing my homework on the bus was something that I did do, not just something that I had the ability to do. Could shows the ability to do something in the past or future. You could [= might, may] be making the biggest mistake of your life! First of all, you shouldnt spend so much time on the computer. In both of these examples, could is being used to express an ability that the speaker had in the past. , and as an alternative to can suggesting less force or certainty or as a polite form in the present When it comes to ability and hypothetical situations, would and could are used slightly differently. Conflicting, positive or strongly held? 2. Now that you know what they are, you can break down their respective meanings. She could not ( couldnt ) drive a car. I would to buy a new car if I had the money. Could is a verb with many senses. How many times have you done that? Just read our guide on these commonly confused words. could / ( kd) / verb (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive) used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can 1 used as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional It will be somewhere tropical. What does could mean? For a related comparison, check out our guide to, The coin can land on heads or tails. They could be at home. COULD Synonyms: 47 Synonyms & Antonyms for COULD | Thesaurus.com Find Out! If I were to take a vacation, it could be somewhere tropical, but it also could be somewhere coldperhaps Colorado to go skiing. Again? I don't think you're getting enough sleep. Could. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/could. Verb Expressing a present possibility Verb Used to express a request where voluntary compliance is expected Find more words! could (kd; unstressed kd) v. 1. a pt. I would buy a new car if I had the money. Conflicting, positive or strongly held? 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">, pasado simple de "can", se usa para expresar lo que alguien saba o poda hacer, forma ms corts que "can" de pedir permiso, passado de "can", forma educada de "can" quando usado para pedir algo, poderia, can , can , , can' fiilinin gemi zaman hali, bir eyin olma olasln anlatmada kullanlr, bir eyi nazike istemede veya sormada kullanlr, pouvais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient, pourrais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient, puis/peux/peut/pouvons/pouvez/peuvent, passat de can, sutilitza per a expressar el que alg sabia, o el que alg o alguna cosa podia fer, pret. could (kd; unstressed kd) v. 1. a pt. (= It is sometimes very cold here in winter.) Additionally, I will show you a memory tool that can help you choose would or could correctly every time. You _________ like my brother if you got to know him better. Heres an example of could to talk about future possibilities: Do you have any ideas for our publicity campaign?, Yes, Ive got a few ideas. Related Words and Phrases See Also What is the opposite of could? This could be our only chance to get out of here. Thesaurus / could FEEDBACK could See definition of could on Dictionary.com verb preserve fruit, vegetable verb be able verb fire from job synonyms for could Compare Synonyms keep bottle put up antonyms for could MOST RELEVANT cannot employ hire Thesaurus / could FEEDBACK could See definition of could on Dictionary.com verb preserve fruit, vegetable verb be able verb fire from job synonyms for could Compare Synonyms keep bottle put up antonyms for could MOST RELEVANT cannot employ hire Could you come over here? Im not certain that the storm will get worse. Future: other expressions to talk about the future, Future: present continuous to talk about the future (, Future: present simple to talk about the future (, Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + -, Modality: other modal words and expressions, Conjunctions: causes, reasons, results and purpose, Relative clauses referring to a whole sentence, Relative clauses: defining and non-defining, Forming negative statements, questions and imperatives. I could swim well at that age a esa edad nadaba muy bien ; I could hear them talking los oa hablar ; I could have tried harder poda haberme esforzado ms ; he couldn't have been kinder fue de lo ms amable ; how COULD you! You have not finished your quiz. Advertisement Could cannot be used with another modal verb: We Couldnt and couldnt have + -ed form express strong possibility: She must have made a mistake. Not only did you have the ability to ride your bike home in 10 minutes, but you did do it in 10 minutes. could / ( kd) / verb (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive) used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can 1 used as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional To save this word, you'll need to log in. They could be at home. Could we have another cup of coffee, please? They are also used to say that someone has permission to do something. Although they seem similar, there are definite situations when one word is more appropriate than the other. Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead. Could is more formal and polite than can: We dont use could to give or refuse permission. You may surprise yourself with what youve learned! These uses are dealt with separately in this entry. could modal verb (SHOULD) used for saying, especially angrily, what you think someone else should do: Well, you could try to look a little more enthusiastic! Related Words and Phrases See Also What is the opposite of could? We had to give away our dog when we moved to England. The negative form of could is could not or couldn't. I could run faster then. It can be easy to mix up can with could. cmo has podido! In the case of possibility, the present perfect tense is typically used. If you think about would being the past tense of will, then it completely makes sense. Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one. (= It is sometimes very cold here in winter.) Could is a verb with many senses. Sure!. What do you think? Past perfect simple or past perfect continuous? Could is the past tense of can, a verb used to denote ability. The word can is an auxiliary verb (or helping verb) and a modal verb. Copyright 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. I could put advertisements on Facebook and Google. In these examples, the speaker is using would to express a past action, which is helpful when comparing would vs. could. Could: form Affirmative (+) form Could comes first in the verb phrase (after the subject and before another verb): We could have lunch early. Could is the past tense of can, a verb used to denote ability. For example: When I was younger, I could ride my bike home in 10 minutes. Get a clearer understanding of this difference by looking at a few more example sentences. 2. A firework couldnt have done all that damage. Would is the past tense of will. 2. How many times have you done that? could've contraction: colloquial, abbreviation (could have) potere v : I could've been someone, you know. Can and could are called modals. Sentences with the word could If it rains on the date of the wedding, we _________ have the ceremony inside the church instead of in the park. For example, In high school, I could dunk a basketball. I __________ call you last night because I left my cell phone at home. You could [= might, may] be making the biggest mistake of your life! Hmm I think you should call her and tell her youre sorry.. Instead, follow these simple rules that are illustrated with example sentences. Can expresses strong possibility: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. Im not going to punish you, even though I could [punish you]. Hear a word and type it out. Verb Expressing a present possibility Verb Used to express a request where voluntary compliance is expected Find more words! See how your sentence looks with different synonyms. to show disapproval (to show that we dont like what someone has done): Grandfather, how could you? Hear a word and type it out. Using COULD COULD and/or COULDNT is used as the past tense of CAN and/or CANT. Here are some examples of using would you like? Both can and could are followed by an infinitive without to. When actual past achievements are mentioned, we usually use was/were able to or managed to but not could in affirmative clauses. That ugly fellow who swore at me the day before was in the boat, and I c-, He was all innuendo and strange hints and whispered secrets, and I-, She was awfully shocked,or pretended to be,and wrote me a very O-dear-how-, He might go and tell Willy all about it; he would ask him to interfere-, These are (Paul says) lima beans Munchausen, and here we have. Cheetahs can run faster than lions can [run]. What is the Difference Between Could and Would? This wont always get you to the right answer, but it should work most of the time. When it comes to polite expressions, like making a request or asking permission, could and would can be used pretty interchangeably. The subject and could change position to form questions. Im not certain that the storm will get worse. We use could have + -ed form to talk about things that did not happen and sometimes to expresses regret: We often use the expression how could you/she/he/they? (used to express possibility): That could never be true. 4. ( Ability in the Past) Examples: I could speak four languages when I was younger. 8. Related Words and Phrases See Also What is the opposite of could? 3. It looks dangerous. We dont use do/does/did: We use could and couldnt in question tags: We often use could to express possibility in the present and the future. He was all innuendo and strange hints and whispered secrets, and I-could-if-I-woulds. What should I do? This medicine could help your cold. These words are used to talk about ability, awareness, and possibility. How could you have gone without telling me? It couldnt be true. We use couldnt have + -ed form as the negative form of must have + -ed. 0 && stateHdr.searchDesk ? To reach the castle, we could either use the mountain path or the forest trail. Be able to is sometimes used after modals such as might or should, and after verbs such as want, hope, or expect. For example, if a woman says 'I can speak Arabic', you usually report this as 'She said she could speak Arabic'. Using the word opinion. While I was working, I would go out to eat more frequently. We often use could have + -ed form to express disapproval or criticism: You could have called to say you would be late. You use can or be able to to talk about ability in the present. 2. When used this way, could is used to express conditional or hypothetical ability or possibility even when talking about the present or the future. For example, In high school, I could dunk a basketball. The negative form of could is couldnt. Learning the difference between "can" vs. "could" and when to use each one couldn't get any easier! We dont usually use could to talk about single events that happened in the past. 4. Should you use would or could" in your sentence? Clear up your doubts about confusing words and use English more confidently! Note: These are only a handful of many aborted could-be classics. If so, show off how capable you are by taking our quiz on can vs. could. Senior defensive linemen Mike Morris and Mazi Smith are both also entering the NFL draft, which makes a minimum of four starters in coordinator Jesse Minter's defense who, The finding demonstrates how the observatory, In March 2021, the supreme court ruled the incriminating statements made by Julie Jensen that were revealed after her death, Neither Bain nor Deleveaux expressed particular concern about the knock-on effects FTX, The planet, called TOI 700 e, is orbiting around a star and, Now, a study published January 10 in the journal Hypertension offers even more evidence of the positive health outcomes that sodium reduction, and as a polite or less forceful alternative to, Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. Like other auxiliary verbs, can and could often appear alone in sentences. Could cannot be used with another modal verb: We He could play football well when he was a kid. When you sign up for English tips by e-mail! (used in making polite requests): Could you open the door for me, please? Can and could are used with verbs such as see, hear, and smell to say that someone is or was aware of something through one of their senses. In high school, I could do my homework on the bus. You also use could have to say that there was a possibility of something being true in the past, although it was not in fact true. Fourteen words that helped define the year. Dont use to after should, could, and would: You shouldnt to smoke. In my opinion, you _________ dye your hair blonde. We use can: We dont usually use could to talk about single events that happened in the past. This shows grade level based on the word's complexity. .css-1w804bk{font-size:16px;}See how your sentence looks with different synonyms. I hate to ask you for another favor, but I wonder if I could pay you to drive me home. If you want to say that someone had the ability to do something but did not in fact do it, you say that they could have done it. Improve your vocabulary with English Vocabulary in Use from Cambridge.Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. Grammatically, though, either one is completely acceptable. Just read our guide on these commonly confused words. me dieron ganas de pegarle! Click here to learn more about this e-book. (permission). could modal verb (SHOULD) used for saying, especially angrily, what you think someone else should do: Well, you could try to look a little more enthusiastic! If I were to take a vacation, it could be somewhere warm and tropical. The word could is also often used for the subjunctive mood, which is used to express hypothetical or conditional statements. This medicine could help your cold. Usage see: can. In this sense, could refers to some ability that someone had in the past. Accessed 18 Jan. 2023.
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