Što je to?
Can, can’t, could i couldn’t su modalni glagoli.
Koriste se za:
- sadašnju sposobnost
- prošlu sposobnost
- dopuštenje
- molbe
- mogućnost
Can je potvrdni oblik.
- I can swim.
Can’t je kratki oblik od cannot.
- I can’t drive.
Could se često koristi za prošlu sposobnost ili uljudne molbe.
- She could read when she was four.
- Could you help me?
Couldn’t je kratki oblik od could not.
- We couldn’t find the address.
Kada se koristi
Koristite can za sadašnju sposobnost.
- He can speak English.
- I can cook.
Koristite can’t kada netko nije u stanju nešto učiniti.
- She can’t swim.
- We can’t come today.
Koristite can za traženje ili davanje dopuštenja.
- Can I use your phone?
- You can leave early.
Koristite could za opću sposobnost u prošlosti.
- I could run fast when I was younger.
- They could speak French as children.
Koristite couldn’t za nedostatak sposobnosti ili neuspješnu situaciju u prošlosti.
- He couldn’t read the sign.
- We couldn’t open the door.
Koristite can ili could za molbe.
- Can you close the window?
- Could you close the window?
Could je obično uljudniji od can u molbama.
Struktura
Nakon can, can’t, could i couldn’t koristite osnovni oblik glagola.
| Oblik | Struktura | Primjer |
|---|---|---|
| Potvrdni sadašnji | subjekt + can + osnovni glagol | She can drive. |
| Odrični sadašnji | subjekt + can’t + osnovni glagol | She can’t drive. |
| Potvrdni prošli | subjekt + could + osnovni glagol | She could drive at eighteen. |
| Odrični prošli | subjekt + couldn’t + osnovni glagol | She couldn’t drive last year. |
Oblik je isti za sve subjekte.
- I can swim.
- He can swim.
- They can swim.
Nemojte dodavati -s nakon he, she ili it.
Pitanja
Koristite:
Can/Could + subjekt + osnovni glagol?
| Vrsta pitanja | Primjer |
|---|---|
| Sadašnja sposobnost | Can you swim? |
| Dopuštenje | Can I sit here? |
| Molba | Can you help me? |
| Uljudna molba | Could you help me? |
| Prošla sposobnost | Could she read at five? |
Kratki odgovori
- Can you drive? — Yes, I can.
- Can he come? — No, he can’t.
- Could they swim? — Yes, they could.
- Could she open it? — No, she couldn’t.
Primjeri
- I can speak a little Spanish.
- She can’t come to work today.
- Can you help me with this box?
- Can I open the window?
- You can use my computer.
- He could swim when he was five.
- We couldn’t find a taxi last night.
- Could you speak more slowly, please?
- They could not hear the announcement.
- My brother can cook very well.
Iznimke
Koristite could za opću prošlu sposobnost.
- She could play the piano when she was young.
Za jednu konkretnu uspješnu radnju u prošlosti, was able to je često prirodnije.
- We were able to fix the problem yesterday.
Međutim, couldn’t je prirodno za konkretnu neuspješnu radnju.
- We couldn’t fix the problem yesterday.
Cannot se piše kao jedna riječ.
- Točno: cannot
- Netočno: can not
Oblik can not moguć je samo kada not pripada drugom izrazu, ali ta je upotreba neuobičajena.
Česte pogreške
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Netočno: She cans swim. Točno: She can swim. Objašnjenje: Nemojte dodavati -s modalnim glagolima.
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Netočno: I can to drive. Točno: I can drive. Objašnjenje: Nakon can koristite osnovni glagol bez to.
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Netočno: He could speaks English. Točno: He could speak English. Objašnjenje: Nakon could koristite osnovni oblik.
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Netočno: Do you can help me? Točno: Can you help me? Objašnjenje: Nemojte koristiti do u pitanjima s can.
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Netočno: I don’t can swim. Točno: I can’t swim. Objašnjenje: Koristite can’t, ne don’t can.
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Netočno: She could to read at four. Točno: She could read at four. Objašnjenje: Nemojte koristiti to nakon could.
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Netočno: Can you helped me? Točno: Can you help me? Objašnjenje: Nakon can koristite osnovni oblik glagola.
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Netočno: I couldn’t found my keys. Točno: I couldn’t find my keys. Objašnjenje: Nakon couldn’t koristite osnovni oblik.