students speaking

A: Mike, can you speak Spanish?

B: No, I can't, James. Can you?

A: No, I can't, but I want to learn.

B: Yeah, me too.

Can / Could + Base Verb

  • She can speak Spanish.
  • Zach couldn't understand the movie.
  • I can help her.

Positive Sentences

I
You
He
She
It
We
They

can

could

play soccer well.

Negative Sentences

I
You
He
She
It
We
They

cannot / can't

could not / couldn't

play soccer well.

Yes / No Questions

Can

Could

I
you
he
she
it
we
they

play soccer well?

Short Answers

Yes, I can.

No, I cannot / can't.

Yes, I could.

No, I could not / couldn't.

Wh Questions

What sports

can

could

I
you
he
she
it
we
they
play?

Use

In Unit 10, we studied will. Will is a modal verb. Can and could are also modal verbs:

Positives Negatives Questions Short Answers
She will play the piano. She will not / won't
play the piano.
Will she play the piano?

Yes, she will.

No, she will not / won't.

She can play the piano. She cannot / can't play the piano. Can she play the piano?

Yes, she can.

No, she cannot / can't.

She could play the piano. She could not / couldn't
play the piano.
Could she play the piano?

Yes, she could.

No, she could not / couldn't.

We use can to talk about our abilities:

Peter is from China. He can speak Chinese. He can't speak French.

I am having a party tomorrow night. Jim can come but Lola can't.


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Exercise

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