What does “can” mean?
- 1
modal verbto be able to do something, or to know how to do it
Can you swim across the lake?
- 2
modal verbused to ask for or give permission
You can borrow my bike this weekend.
- 3
nouna closed metal container for food or drink
He opened a can of beans for lunch.
Can at a glance
- Part of speech
- modal verb & noun
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /kæn/ · KAN
- Forms
- could, cannot, can’t
How to use “can” correctly
After “can” use the base verb with no “to”: say “I can swim”, not “I can to swim”. The negative is written “cannot” as one word.
Common phrases with “can”
- can afford
- can’t stand
- a can of soda
Idioms with “can”
- Bite off more than you can chew: Try to do more than you are able to manage.
- You can say that again: Used to say that you completely agree with what someone has just said.
- You can lead a horse to water: You can give someone a chance or advice, but you can't force them to use it.
- Open a can of worms: To start dealing with something that creates many new, complicated problems.
“can” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- could modal verbA1used as the past of “can” to talk about ability
- should modal verbA1used to give advice or say what is right
- would modal verbA1used to talk about imagined situations
- may modal verbA2used to say that something is possible but not certain
- might modal verbA2used to say that something is possible, often less likely than with “may”
- must modal verbA2used to say that something is necessary or very important