CAN AND COULD

They are modal verbs used to express ability or

permission. (poder o podría)

STRUCTURE: SUBJECT + CAN/COULD + VERB IN BASE FORM + COMPLEMENT

NEGATIVE SENTECES: SUBJECT+ CAN/COULD + NOT+ VERB IN BASE FORM +

COMPLEMENT

QUESTIONS: CAN/COULD + SUBJECT+VERB IN BASE FORM+ COMPLEMENT+?

PRESENT CAN
PAST COULD (COULD IS A FORMAL O POLITE WAY)
EXAMPLES
• AFFIRMATIVE
I can go to the museum today.
She can ride a bike.
They can explore the mountain.
July can count until 100 in chinese.
She could win the competition when she was
fit.
You could buy a new car with the money
you had.
Lea could go to the trip last weekend.
• NEGATIVE
• I cannot play chess.
• He can’t use his cellphone in class.
• We cannot memorize that information.
• Jhon can’t visit his family because he’s sick.
• She couldn’t pass the year because she
didn’t complete all her homemork.
• Elena could not wait for the next fly.
• I couldn’t forget your birthday.
 LIKES AND DISLIKES
Like Verbs used to express
Love preferences or things I don’t
like.
Dislike
Hate
Don’t mind
I like eating seafood. I dislike watching horror movies.

She likes meeting new people. She dislikes hamburguers and junk food.

You love dancing disco music. They hate mathematics

Luis loves Paris Helen hates traveling long distances by bus

I don’t mind traveling by bus

She doesn’t mind working on Saturday.
You can express your likes and dislikes in past too:

I liked to eat seafood. I disliked to see horror movies.

She liked to meet new people. She disliked hamburguers and junk food.

You loved to dance disco music. They hated mathematics

Luis loved Paris Helen hated to travel long

distances by bus

For negative sentences you could use didn’t