can & could karşılaştırması
Can / Could
Use:
1) Use can / can’t to talk about your abilities now. ( yeteneklerimizde kullanırız)
I can speak English. I can’t speak German.
Use could / couldn’t to talk about abilities in the past.
I could speak French when I was a child, but I can’t now.
I couldn’t speak English when I was a child, but I can now.
2) Use can and could to make requests. Could is more polite. (ricalarda kullanırız , could daha kibardır)
Can you cook this evening please?
Could you pass me the salt?
Use can to reply to requests.
Can I sit here? => Yes, you can. Sorry, you can’t.
Can you cook this evening please? => Yes, I can. Sorry, I can’t.
DON’T use could in replies to requests. (could ile başlayan sorulara, could ile cevap verilmez)
Could you lend me some money?
Yes, I could. => Yes, sure! Sorry, I can’t.
Form: cümle yapıları aşağıdadır
1) Can and could are the same for all persons.
I can/could speak English
you can/could speak English
he / she / it can/could speak English
we can/could speak English
they can/could speak English.
2) The negative form of can is cannot, or can’t. The negative form of could is couldn’t.
3) There is always a verb after can and could, and the verb is always in the infinitive form (without to).
Sally can help you. NOT Sally can helps you. / Sally can to help you.
4) Make questions by inverting can and the subject.
I can see you this afternoon. => Can I see you this afternoon?
You could help me. => Could you help me?
5) Use can/can’t and could/couldn’t in short answers.
Can your brother swim? => Yes, he can. No, he can’t.
Could you do the test? => Yes, I could. No, I couldn’t.
Common mistakes:
1) Some students make questions incorrectly.
You can speak English? => Can you speak English?
I could sit here? => Could I sit here?
***Fill in the blanks below to complete the sentences. Use the words in the above box.
1. I ___________ go to the party last night because I was sick.
2. A: ___________ Noel cook Italian food? B: Yes, he ___________.
3. My sister ___________ swim last year, but now she ___________.
4. They ___________ go shopping yesterday because the store was closed.
5. A: ___________ you read when you were four years old? B: Yes, I __________.
6. Ellie ___________ ride a bicycle. She rides it to school every day.
7. I’m very tired, so I ___________ go out to the park to play.
8. A: ___________ you see the moon last night? B: No, I ___________.
9. When ___________ I talk to you about the company report?
10. Most dinosaurs walked on land, but some ___________ fly or even swim.
11. Excuse me, I ___________ hear you right now. The music is too loud.
12. I ___________ drive a truck when I was only sixteen years old.
13. Douglas hit the tree because he ___________ stop his car.
14. How many hot dogs ___________ you eat at one time?
15. I ___________ read without my reading glasses. Where are they?
Answers
1. couldn’t
2. Can / can
3. couldn’t / can
4. couldn’t
5. Could / could
6. can
7. can’t
8. Could / couldn’t
9. can
10. could
11. can’t
12. could
13. couldn’t
14. can
15. can’t
