Questions and negatives:

We make questions by putting the subject after can/could:

Can I ? Can you ? Could I Could you ? and so on.

The negative form is cant in spoken English and cannot in written English.
We sometimes say cannot, but it is very emphatic.

The negative form of could is couldnt in spoken English and could not in written English.
We sometimes say could not.

We use can and cant :

To talk about ability:

Maria can speak four languages.

I cant swim, but my sister can.

To say that something is possible or impossible:

Learning English can be difficult [= Learning English is sometimes difficult.]

Children can be very naughty [= Children are sometimes very naughty.]
Its still light. It cant be bedtime.

For requests and refusals of requests

Can I go home now?

You can go whenever you like.
You can borrow the car today, but you cant have it tomorrow.

To offer to help someone:

Can I help you?

Can I carry that bag for you?

We use could and couldnt as the past tense of can/cant:

To talk about ability:

I could run very fast when I was younger.

She couldnt get a job anywhere.

To say that something was possible or impossible:

Our teacher could be very strict when we were at school. [= Some teachers were very strict.]
People could starve in those days. [= People sometimes starved.]
You couldnt use computers in the nineteenth century.

To make a polite request:

Could I go now please?

Could you lend me a dictionary please?

To make a polite offer:

Could I give you a lift?

I could carry that for you.

We use could have:

to show that something is possible now or was possible at some time in the past:

Its ten oclock. They could have arrived now.

They could have arrived hours ago.

Could
de English Grammar Today
Could: form

Affirmative (+) form

Could comes first in the verb phrase (after the subject and before another verb):

We could have lunch early.

Could cannot be used with another modal verb:

We could drive to France

Not: We could might drive to France . or We might could drive to France .

Negative () form

The negative form of could is couldnt. We dont use dont/doesnt/didnt with could:

He couldnt lift that. Its too heavy.

Not: He didnt could lift that

We can use the full form could not in formal contexts or when we want to emphasise something:

Fabio was frightened. He could not move his arm. It was stuck.

Question (?) form

The subject and could change position to form questions. We dont use do/does/did:

Could I pay by credit card?

Not: Do I could pay by credit card?

We use could and couldnt in question tags:

I could come back tomorrow, couldnt I?

Could: uses

Possibility

We often use could to express possibility in the present and the future.

Compare

Its blue. It could be blue. (present)

I am certain that it is blue. Its a fact. Im not certain that it is blue.

 The storm will get worse. The storm could get worse. (future)

Im certain that the storm will get worse. Im not certain that the storm will get worse.

Suggestions

We often use could to make suggestions:

A:

Wills party is fancy-dress.

B:

Its Halloween.

C:

Oh right. I could go as Julius Caesar.

B:

Again? How many times have you done that?

A:

Ive got to be in the meeting at 10 and the train doesnt get in until 10.15.

B:

Could you get an earlier train?

Permission

We use could to ask for permission. Could is more formal and polite than can:

Could I ask you a personal question?

Warning:

We dont use could to give or refuse permission. We use can:

A:

Could I leave early today?

B:

Yes, you can./No, you cant.

Not: Yes, you could./No, you couldnt .

Could: past

We dont usually use could to talk about single events that happened in the past.

Past achievement

When actual past achievements are mentioned, we usually use was/were able to or managed to but not could in affirmative clauses. This

is because they are facts, rather than possibilities:

I was able to/managed to buy a wonderful bag to match my shoes.

Not: I could buy a wonderful bag to match my shoes .

We hired a car and we were able to/managed to drive 1,000 miles in one week.

Not: We hired a car and we could drive 1,000 miles in one week .

Ability

We use could to talk about past ability:

When I was young, I could easily touch my toes.

Possibility

We use could have + -ed form to talk about possibility in the past:

I could have been a lawyer.

They could have taken a taxi home instead of walking and getting wet.

Janette couldnt have done any better.

Guessing and predicting: couldnt as the negative of must

When we want to guess or predict something, we use couldnt as the negative form of must. We use couldnt have + -ed form as the

negative form of must have + -ed. Couldnt and couldnt have + -ed form express strong possibility:

She must have made a mistake. It couldnt be true.

A firework couldnt have done all that damage.

Could + smell, taste, think, believe, etc.

We use could to refer to single events that happened in the past, with verbs of the senses (smell, taste, see, hear, touch, etc.) and

mental processes (think, believe, remember, understand etc.):

The food was terrible. I could taste nothing but salt.

We knew they were in there. We could hear voices inside.

He came and spoke to me, but I couldnt remember his name.

Reporting can

We use could when reporting clauses with can as past events:

They told us we could wait in the hallway. (The original words were probably: You can wait in the hallway.)

She said we could book the tickets online. (The speaker remembers hearing You can book the tickets online.)

Criticism

We often use could have + -ed form to express disapproval or criticism:

You could have called to say you would be late. (You didnt call I think you should have called.)

You could have tidied your room.

Regret

We use could have + -ed form to talk about things that did not happen and sometimes to expresses regret:

He could have been a doctor.

I could have been famous.

We often use the expression how could you/she/he/they? to show disapproval (to show that we dont like what someone has done):

Grandfather, how could you? How could you leave me?

How could you have gone without telling me?

A:

We had to give away our dog when we moved to England.

B:

Oh, how could you?

Could

'Could' is used to make polite requests. We can also use 'can' for these but 'could' is more polite.

Could you help me, please?

Could you lend me some money?

Could I have a lift?

Could I bother you for a moment?

If we use 'could' in reply to these requests, it suggests that we do not really want to do it. If you agree to the request, it is better to say 'can'.

Of course I can.
 I could help you if it's really necessary but I'm really busy right now.

I could lend you some money but I'd need it back tomorrow without fail.

I could give you a lift as far as Birmingham.

'Could' is used to talk about theoretical possibility and is similar in meaning to 'might'.

It could rain later. Take an umbrella.

He could be there by now.

Could he be any happier?

It could be Sarah's.

How do you use 'can' and 'could' correctly?

A PhraseMix reader asked this:

Please tell me which verbs can be used with "could"? In the present past as well as future...?

"Can" and "Could" are tricky because you can use them for a few different purposes, and the rules are different for each version.

"Can" and "Could" for ability

You can use "can" to talk about things that someone is able to do:

I can speak Spanish and French, too!

In the past, "could" is actually a little tricky. Sometimes we say "could" (for abilities that were long-lasting) and sometimes we say "was able
to":

I could already read by the time I entered kindergarten.

I was able to get us a couple of free tickets.

When you're talking about the future, you have to use "be able to":

Do you think you'll be able to remember all of that for the test?

"Could", "can't", and "couldn't" for belief or possibility

You can use "could" to talk about something that might be true:

A: Why's there so much traffic?

B: I don't know. It could be because of the baseball game getting out.

"Could" in this cind of situation can be replaced by "might".

You shouldn't use "can" to discuss possibilities.

But you can use both "can't" and "couldn't" to talk about something that you don't believe is true:

He can't be 18 years old already! Last time I saw him, he was still in elementary school.

This couldn't possibly be the last one, could it?

"Can" for making offers

You can offer to help someone with "Can"

Can I help you with those bags?

It's possible that some English speakers might use "could' in this situation, but usually not.

"Can" for permission

English speakers often use "can" to ask for something:

Can I leave a little early today?

This is a casual way to ask for things. A more formal word to replace "can" is "may":

May I borrow your stapler?

You can also tell someone that they don't have permission for something:

You can't go in there.

"Can" and "could" for asking for making requests

Ask people for something with "can":

Can I get a bacon cheeseurger with pickles and lettuce?

Can you email that to me?

You can make the same requests with "could", which is more formal:

Could I get a bacon cheeseurger with pickles and lettuce?

Could you email that to me?

There are a lot of other little complications, but to learn to use "can" and "could" correctly, you'll need to get a lot of practice with reading,
writing, hearing, and speaking natural English.