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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