Could is a verb with many senses. (used to express possibility): That could never be true. and mental processes (think, believe, remember, understand etc. Find out which word to choose and when. In both of these examples, could is expressing possibility: things that could have been true or things that could yet come true. I waited ages for you - you could have said that you weren't coming! For example, if a woman says 'I can speak Arabic', you usually report this as 'She said she could speak Arabic'. (I was so angry) you could have warned me! Related Words and Phrases See Also What is the opposite of could? Verb Expressing a present possibility Verb Used to express a request where voluntary compliance is expected Find more words! Improve your vocabulary with English Vocabulary in Use from Cambridge.Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. see can (could) do with; see with half an eye, could. He could play football well when he was a kid. Can, could, and be able to are all used to talk about a person's ability to do something. We use could have + -ed form to talk about possibility in the past: They could have taken a taxi home instead of walking and getting wet. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. We use could when reporting clauses with can as past events: They told us we could wait in the hallway. Possibility and impossibility. We dont use dont/doesnt/didnt with could: We can use the full form could not in formal contexts or when we want to emphasise something: Fabio was frightened. We use could to show that something is possible, but not certain: They could come by car. How many times have you done that? Find out which word to choose and when. (The speaker remembers hearing You can book the tickets online.). We use couldnt have + -ed form as the negative form of must have + -ed. But, when we use would, there is no question where the vacation will be. When discussing the past in this context, the word could is often used alongside the auxiliary verb have. Could is the past tense of can, a verb used to denote ability. Its a fact. of can 1. auxiliary verb. (used to express conditional possibility or ability): You could do it if you tried. He could not move his arm. Could is often used in reporting structures. I am certain that it is blue. (used in making polite requests): Could you open the door for me, please? 1. 5. (= Maybe they will come by car.) The difference between could and would are presented in the points given below: Could is the past tense form of the verb can which indicates a past ability of someone or possibility of an action or happening. Last year, he couldnt speak English very well, but now he can. Conflicting, positive or strongly held? Advertisement 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">, Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes, Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. They could be at home. I could taste nothing but salt. Could: form Affirmative (+) form Could comes first in the verb phrase (after the subject and before another verb): We could have lunch early. The verb can is an auxiliary (helping) verb that is often used alongside other verbs to express ability, possibility, or permission (in the case of permission, could is often considered more polite than can, but they are grammatically interchangeable in this context). The simple past tense form of can is could. Usage see: can. If only she could summon him from the moonlight out there; if only she were a witch-could see him, know where he was, what doing! In my prime, I could bench press 250 pounds. 2. While they're clearly different, their usage in a sentence isn't always as clear. When used this way, could is used to express conditional or hypothetical ability or possibility even when talking about the present or the future. In my prime, I could bench press 250 pounds. 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 It couldnt be true. cmo has podido! 2. 4. Would and could can also be used together to show certainty and possibility like: I would go on vacation if I could get the time off. You really __________ stay up so late. Anthony said you-could hear Emmy's tongue striking the roof of her-mouth all thee time. I could do it next week if you helped me. He could not move his arm. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Follow these quick and easy guidelines to never get confused again. You use can to say that something is sometimes possible. 2. Both would and could are modal auxiliary verbs, which are better known as a form of helping verbs. Might have and may have can be used in a similar way. What should I do? Could cannot be used with another modal verb: We Now it takes me 20 minutes! We could hear voices inside. 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This medicine could help your cold. used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of, used as an auxiliary, esp in polite requests or in conditional sentences, to make the subjunctive mood of, used as an auxiliary to indicate suggestion of a course of action, you could take the car tomorrow if it's raining, used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibility, Doomed Passion Projects of Hollywood: The Lost Classics of Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, and More, Everyday Sexism Creator Laura Bates on Helping Women Speak Out. Clear up your doubts about confusing words and use English more confidently! 10. or We might could drive to France. Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. 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! In high school, I could do my homework on the bus. His recovery could take months. Just read our guide on these commonly confused words. ): The food was terrible. me dieron ganas de pegarle! Not: I could buy a wonderful bag to match my shoes. We use can to make general statements about what is possible: It can be very cold here in winter. Present perfect simple or present perfect continuous? If you want to say that someone had the ability to do something in the past, although they don't now have this ability, you say that they used to be able to do it. For example: When I was younger, I would ride my bike home in 10 minutes. 2023 LoveToKnow Media. In other words, "I will definitely go on vacation if it is possible to get the time off.". Would is also a modal verb used to denote possibility, and it often refers to something that is conditional but definite within those conditions. 2. a used to say that something is possible. 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! I would to buy a new car if I had the money. Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead. Could and would are related, but they mean different things. Although they seem similar, there are definite situations when one word is more appropriate than the other. The difference between could and would are presented in the points given below: Could is the past tense form of the verb can which indicates a past ability of someone or possibility of an action or happening. '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. I could have hit him! 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 Find out which word to choose and when. ): The food was terrible. This medicine could help your cold. (used in making polite requests): Could you open the door for me, please? The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. I wish I could've been there to see him open his presents. 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! Possibility and impossibility. Now that you know what they are, you can break down their respective meanings. Get grammar tips, writing tricks, and more from Thesaurus.com right in your inbox! Lets again look at the first example. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. , in the past conditional We said we would go if we could. Good luck! The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. He came and spoke to me, but I couldnt remember his name. His recovery could take months. I hate to ask you for another favor, but I wonder if I could pay you to drive me home. 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? Be able to is more formal than can. 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 Should you use would or could" in your sentence? However, by knowing the rules, you can really clear things up. (used in asking for permission): Could I borrow your pen? If I were to take a vacation, it could be somewhere warm and tropical. 4. I __________ touch that equipment if I were you. 2. Couldnt and couldnt have + -ed form express strong possibility: She must have made a mistake. 5. Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one. Sure!. 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