Can vs. Could — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 25, 2024
Can indicates present ability or capacity, whereas could refers to past ability or a conditional possibility in the present or future.
Difference Between Can and Could
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Can is used to express what someone is able to do or is capable of doing in the present. It implies a level of certainty about the ability. Whereas, could is the past tense of can and is used to talk about abilities or possibilities in the past, suggesting a sense of uncertainty or conditionality when referring to the present or future.
Can is also used to request permission in a direct, informal way, indicating a level of confidence in receiving a positive response. On the other hand, could is employed to make polite requests or to ask for permission in a more tentative, courteous manner, reflecting a higher level of formality and consideration for the recipient's willingness or ability to comply.
In expressing possibility, can suggests a higher likelihood of something happening in the present or future based on current abilities or circumstances. Conversely, could often implies a conditional possibility, dependent on certain conditions being met, and can indicate a less certain outcome.
Can is typically used in direct questions to inquire about someone's ability, permission, or the possibility of an action occurring. Meanwhile, could is used in indirect questions to soften the request or inquiry, making it less direct and more polite.
When giving suggestions, can is straightforward and suggests a course of action based on current capabilities or options. Could, in contrast, offers suggestions that are more speculative or hypothetical, indicating options that might be considered if certain conditions allow.
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Comparison Chart
Tense
Present
Past or conditional
Usage
Ability, permission, possibility
Past ability, polite requests, conditional possibility
Politeness Level
Direct, less formal
More polite, formal
Likelihood
Higher likelihood
Conditional, less certain
Example Sentence
"Can you help me?"
"Could you help me, please?"
Compare with Definitions
Can
To have the opportunity or possibility to.
You can see the ocean from here.
Could
To express a wish or desire.
I could eat pizza every day.
Can
To request or give permission.
Can I leave early today?
Could
Used in polite requests or offers.
Could you pass the salt?
Can
Used in offers of assistance.
Can I help you with that?
Could
Past tense of can, indicating past ability.
I could swim when I was younger.
Can
To be physically or mentally able to.
I can swim across the pool.
Could
To indicate possibility or potential.
It could rain later.
Can
To indicate possibility.
It can get very hot in Arizona.
Could
To suggest a conditional outcome.
If you practiced more, you could improve.
Can
Be able to
He can't afford it
They can run fast
I could hear footsteps
Could
Past of can
Can
Be permitted to
You can use the phone if you want to
Nobody could legally drink on the premises
Could
Inflection of can
Can
Used to request someone to do something
Can you open the window?
Can't you leave me alone?
Could
Used as a past subjunctive (contrary to fact).
I think he could do it if he really wanted to.
I wish I could fly!
Can
Preserve (food) in a can
Sardines and anchovies are worth the extra money if canned in olive oil
Could
Used to politely ask for permission to do something.
Could I borrow your coat?
Can
Dismiss from a job
He was canned because of a tiff over promotion
Could
Used to politely ask for someone else to do something.
Could you proofread this email?
Can
A cylindrical metal container
A can of paint
A petrol can
Could
Used to show the possibility that something might happen.
We could rearrange the time if you like.
Can
Prison
Our friends will get a year or two in the can
Could
Used to suggest something.
You could try adding more salt to the soup.
Can
The toilet
She walks in and has to use the can
Could
Past participle of can
Can
Headphones.
Could
Something that could happen, or could be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
Can
A usually cylindrical metal container.
Could
Was, should be, or would be, able, capable, or susceptible. Used as an auxiliary, in the past tense or in the conditional present.
Can
An airtight container, usually made of tin-coated iron, in which foods or beverages are preserved.
Can
The contents of such a container
Ate a can of beans.
Can
(Slang) A jail or prison.
Can
(Slang) A toilet or restroom.
Can
(Slang) The buttocks.
Can
(Slang) A naval destroyer.
Can
To seal in an airtight container for future use; preserve
Canning peaches.
Can
(Slang) To make a recording of
Can the audience's applause for a TV comedy show.
Can
To end the employment of; fire.
Can
To put an end or stop to
Canned the TV show after one season.
Told the students to can the chatter.
Can
To solicit cash donations for a charity or other organization such as a club or amateur sports team by holding out a can or other container in a public place.
Can
To know how to; to be able to.
She can speak English, French, and German.
I can play football.
Can you remember your fifth birthday?
Can
May; to be permitted or enabled to.
You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.
Can I use your pen?
Can
(modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have the potential to; be possible.
Can it be Friday already?
Teenagers can really try their parents' patience.
Animals can experience emotions.
Can
Used with verbs of perception.
Can you hear that?.
I can feel the baby moving inside me.
Can
To know.
Can
To seal in a can.
They canned air to sell as a novelty to tourists.
Can
To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can.
They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
Can
To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
Can
To shut up.
Can your gob.
Can
To fire or dismiss an employee.
The boss canned him for speaking out.
Can
To hole the ball.
Can
(transitive) To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover.
Can
A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium, but sometimes of plastic, and with a carrying handle over the top.
Can
A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
Can
A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish.
Can
A chamber pot, now a toilet or lavatory.
Shit or get off the can.
Bob's in the can. You can wait a few minutes or just leave it with me.
Can
Buttocks.
Can
(slang) Jail or prison.
Bob's in the can. He won't be back for a few years.
Can
Headphones.
Can
(archaic) A drinking cup.
Can
(nautical) A cube-shaped buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark
Can
A chimney pot.
Can
An E-meter used in Scientology auditing.
Can
An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana.
Can
A protective cover for the fuel element in a nuclear reactor.
Can
An obs. form of began, imp. & p. p. of Begin, sometimes used in old poetry. [See Gan.]
With gentle words he can faile gree.
Can
A drinking cup; a vessel for holding liquids.
Fill the cup and fill can,Have a rouse before the morn.
Can
A vessel or case of tinned iron or of sheet metal, of various forms, but usually cylindrical; as, a can of tomatoes; an oil can; a milk can.
Can
To preserve by putting in sealed cans
Can
To know; to understand.
I can rimes of Rodin Hood.
I can no Latin, quod she.
Let the priest in surplice white,That defunctive music can.
Can
To be able to do; to have power or influence.
The will of Him who all things can.
For what, alas, can these my single arms?
Mæcænas and Agrippa, who can most with Cæsar.
Can
To be able; - followed by an infinitive without to; as, I can go, but do not wish to.
Yet he could not but acknowledge to himself that there was something calculated to impress awe, . . . in the sudden appearances and vanishings . . . of the masque
Tom felt that this was a rebuff for him, and could not but understand it as a left-handed hit at his employer.
Can
Airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.
Can
The quantity contained in a can
Can
A buoy with a round bottom and conical top
Can
The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on;
He deserves a good kick in the butt
Are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?
Can
A plumbing fixture for defecation and urination
Can
A room equipped with toilet facilities
Can
Preserve in a can or tin;
Tinned foods are not very tasty
Can
Terminate the employment of;
The boss fired his secretary today
The company terminated 25% of its workers
Common Curiosities
What is the main difference between can and could?
Can expresses present ability, while could indicates past ability or conditional possibility.
Is can only used for present abilities?
Primarily, yes, but it also expresses permission and possibility.
Can could be used to talk about future possibilities?
Yes, when expressing conditional or uncertain future possibilities.
How do can and could differ in expressing permission?
Can is more direct and informal, while could is more polite and formal.
Can I use can for direct questions?
Yes, can is commonly used in direct questions about ability or permission.
Is it correct to use could for past abilities only?
No, could also expresses polite requests and conditional possibilities.
Can I use could for polite requests?
Yes, could is often used to make polite requests.
How does the usage of can and could differ in suggestions?
Can suggests direct, feasible actions; could suggests hypothetical or polite suggestions.
Can could express wishes?
Yes, could is used to express wishes or desires.
How do can and could differ in terms of formality?
Can is less formal, while could is used in more formal contexts.
Can both can and could be used to offer assistance?
Yes, but the level of politeness and formality differs.
How do can and could differ when talking about opportunities?
Can refers to current, real opportunities, while could suggests potential or conditional opportunities.
Is could always conditional?
Often, but not always, especially when referring to past abilities.
Can can express possibility?
Yes, it can express possibility based on current facts or abilities.
Is could more polite than can?
Yes, could is generally considered more polite and less direct than can.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
