Name: How to Correctly Use Auxiliary Verb COULD - Learn English Grammar
Uploaded: 2020-07-03T02:12:53.000Z
Duration: 9 min 38 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

To-infinitive

Want to speak real English from your first lesson?

The imperative

Sign up for your free lifetime account at englishclass101.com.

Today, I'm going to talk about how to use the word “could” to express possibility

Okay, the first use of “could” that I want to mention is as the past tense of “can.”

So, “can” is the present tense word we use to talk about ability, we use it for ability.

However, in the past tense “can” becomes “could.”

That means we use the word, “could,” to express past ability.

First one, “When I was young I could speak Spanish.”

So, a past tense situation, this is a past ability.

“Three years ago, she could swim faster than all the other students in her class.”

So, again a past tense situation, three years ago here.

“Last week, I couldn't use this software.

So, here, I've used the negative “couldn't,” could not.

So, I used “can” in the present tense here.

So, that's the first point that I want to mention for today.

Using “could” as the past tense of the word, “can.”

So, these all express past ability, a past capability.

The second point I want to talk about for today is using “could” for suggestions

Please keep in mind when you use “could,” it's not giving maybe a promise about that

You're not making any promises about the activity.

The nuance of “could” or the meaning of “could” is just possibility.

When you give a suggestion or when you give advice, using the word, “could,” you're

giving some information about possibility only.

Something it is possible to do, an action it is possible to take.

First, “We could go hiking this weekend.”

“It's possible to go hiking this weekend,” “we could.”

So, this is a suggestion for a possible action.

Next, “I could cook something spicy for dinner tonight.”

“I could cook something spicy for dinner.”

It's possible for me to make something spicy.

Third, “You could try talking to your landlord about the problem.”

Again, it's possible you could talk to your landlord.

So, we can think of these two things as having a very similar meaning.

Keep in mind, of course, because this is a suggestion, if I suggest, for example, “I

could cook something for dinner tonight,” the nuance is that maybe the speaker wants

to do that activity or recommends that activity or that action.

But, the nuance once, again, is just that it's possible, just that it's possible.

Okay, so that's point number two I want to mention.

Before I go to point number three, I want to mention two kinds of smaller points within

First, when we use “could” in the positive like I've used here, “She could swim,”

or, “We could go hiking,” for example, this refers to something that is possible.

In the negative form, however, like “could not,” for example, in this sentence, “Last

When we use it in the negative form, it means impossible, 0% chance.

There's potential for an action to happen or for a status, but, impossible is the negative

It is totally impossible, zero chance of something.

So, with these points in mind, let's look at the next item I want to talk about.

So, we can use “could” and “be,” the verb, “to be,” for a status.

So, a situation like to talk about a person or to talk about a thing.

So, in these cases, we don't have all the information about a situation but we are making

a guess, a guess about potential, a guess about possibility.

For example, “This could be the right house.”

If you've seen the video we did about using “must,” you'll notice maybe I've used

“This could be the right house,” and “This must be the right house.”

“Could” expresses only possibility, so a lower level of certainty than “must.”

If I say, “This must be the right house,” it means there's a very high chance this is

Here, “could” shows only possibility, so a lower level of chance, there's not so

Here, I have the negative, “couldn't,” “He couldn't be my teacher.”

So, “That person, that man, couldn't be my teacher because I heard my teacher wears

So, I have some other information that tells me, “This person, this guy, he couldn't

It's not possible for him to be my teacher.”

“They could be asleep, maybe that's why they're not answering the phone.”

So, here, I've used positive “could,” “They could be asleep,” so I'm showing

Subtitles ListPlay Video

How to Correctly Use Auxiliary Verb COULD - Learn English Grammar

subscribe

potential

present

situation