The meaning of COULD is —used in auxiliary function in the past, in the past conditional, and as an alternative to can suggesting less force or certainty or as a polite form in the present. How …

Could is more formal and polite than can: Could I ask you a personal question? We don’t use could to give or refuse permission.

"Could" is a modal verb used to express possibility or past ability as well as to make suggestions and requests. "Could" is also commonly used in conditional sentences as the conditional form …

Using could to make requests, make suggestions, express possibility, and as the past form of can.

Could is also used to talk about ability in the present, but it has a special meaning. If you say that someone could do something, you mean that they have the ability to do it, but they don't in fact …

Definition of could modal verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

We use could have to say that someone had the ability or opportunity to do something, but did not do it: She could have learned Swahili, but she didn't want to.

Aug 26, 2024 · “Can” is typically employed to indicate a high likelihood of an event occurring in the future or to denote someone’s current ability, while “could” is used to suggest a more …

The English modal auxiliary verbs are a subset of the English auxiliary verbs used mostly to express modality, properties such as possibility and obligation. [a] They can most easily be …

Aug 26, 2022 · In this article, we’ll explain the differences between can and could, cover when and how both words should be used, and provide examples that show how they’re typically …