Can + subject + base verb + ?Put the modal before the subject. The main verb stays in base form.
Permission: Can, May, Could
A2Use can, could, and may to ask for or give permission. Can is everyday, could is more polite, and may is more formal.
What you'll learn
- Ask for permission with can in everyday situations.
- Use could to make a permission request sound more polite.
- Use may for formal permission requests.
- Give or refuse permission with short modal answers.
- Keep the verb in base form after every permission modal.
Structure
Could + subject + base verb + ?Use could to sound more polite. It asks about permission now.
May + subject + base verb + ?Use may for formal requests and notices.
Yes, subject + can/may.Short answers repeat the modal. Use can for everyday permission and may for formal permission.
No, subject + can't / may not.Use can't for a normal no and may not for a formal no.
Build a sentence
Tone
Action
CouldIsit here?
Could I sit here?
Use could to sound softer and more polite.
When to use
Everyday requests
Use can with friends, family, classmates, and coworkers in normal daily situations. Can I borrow your pen?
Polite requests
Use could when you want to sound softer or more respectful. Could I ask you a question?
Formal situations
Use may in formal places such as offices, schools, or service settings. May I speak to the manager?
Markers
Can I ... ?Could I ... ?May I ... ?Yes, you can.Yes, you may.No, you can't.You may not.
Common mistakes
Wrong
I can use your phone?
Correct
Can I use your phone?
In a question, the modal comes before the subject.
Wrong
May I to leave early?
Correct
May I leave early?
After can, could, and may, use the base verb with no to.
Wrong
Can she leaves now?
Correct
Can she leave now?
A modal is followed by the base verb, not a verb with -s.
Wrong
You don't can park here.
Correct
You can't park here.
Do is not used with can. Make the negative directly: can't.
Wrong
Could I sit here? is only about past time.
Correct
Could I sit here? is a polite request for permission now.
In permission requests, could is a present-time polite form.
Common misconceptions
❝ Could is only for past time, so it cannot ask for permission now. ❞
Could often makes a present permission request sound more polite: Could I come in? is about now.
❝ Can, could, and may all sound exactly the same. ❞
They can ask for the same permission, but the tone changes: can is neutral, could is more polite, and may is more formal.
Skills in this rule (7)
ASK_WITH_CANw5Ask for permission with can
Use can to ask if something is allowed in everyday situations. It fits neutral, common requests like Can I open the window?
ASK_WITH_COULDw5Ask for permission with could for a more polite tone
Use could to make the request softer and more polite. It asks about permission now, not past ability.
ASK_WITH_MAYw4Ask for permission with may in formal situations
Use may for permission when the situation is more formal or careful. It is common in offices, schools, and written notices.
GIVE_PERMISSION_WITH_CAN_MAYw4Give permission with can or may
Answer permission requests with can or may. Can is common and neutral; may is more formal.
SAY_NO_WITH_CANT_MAY_NOTw5Refuse permission with can't or may not
Use can't for a clear everyday no and may not for a formal no. The main verb stays in base form after the modal.
BASE_VERB_AFTER_MODALw5Keep the main verb in base form after can, could, and may
After can, could, may, can't, and may not, use the base verb with no to and no -s. The modal already carries the grammar.
CHOOSE_FORMALITYw4Choose can, could, or may by level of formality
Use can for everyday permission, could for a softer polite request, and may for a formal request or formal answer. Match the modal to the situation.