We Can...(Do It!)
We use can and a verb to say if something is possible.
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I can do a handstand.
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You can sing really well.
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Wow! He can run really fast.
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We can play now.
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They can come tomorrow.
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Rory got a tent for his birthday.
OK, I can put up a tent, no problem.
Hey Rory, can I help?
Where are the instructions?
Yes, you can help!
Ah, we can do it without the instructions!
We also use can to ask permission or make a suggestion.
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Can I go to the toilet?
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Can she try again later?
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Can they sit at the front?
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Sure.
Ok, can you get me the instructions?
After a few hours...
When you ask someone to do something for you, use can.
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Can you get that book for me?
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Can you open the window?
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Can you switch down the music?
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At last!...Oh no! The zip is jammed. Mac, could you pull down the zip?
Hold on!
After a few more hours...
When you ask someone to do something for you, you can also use could.
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Could you help me?
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Could she get it for me?
I can't put up a tent!
We can't give up! Hmmm!... I think I have an idea!
To form the negative, you add not. There's no space between can and not. In conversation, we usually say can't.
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I cannot sing.
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I can't sing.
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You cannot come in.
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You can't come in.
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Rory cannot put up a tent.
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Rory can't put up a tent.
Finally...
The goalpost! You are a genius! I could not have done it without you!
Of course you could!
For the past, we use could.
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When I found the instructions, I could put up the tent.
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We played the match yesterday, but they couldn't come to see us.
tent
Glossary
zip
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instructions – instructions tell you how to do something
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to be jammed – to not be able to move
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genius - a really clever person
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to give up – to stop doing something
goalpost
environment
10 Questions Quiz
