I Would If I could is a sentence that refers to something you cannot do, but if it were possible for you, you would do it.
Can you use could in an if clause?
Could, should, and would are not used in the zero conditional. This is because the zero conditional describes things that always happen. Could, should and would only deal with things that may or may not happen. Additionally, should is not generally used in the second conditional.
Is it if you could or if you can?
To summarize, ‘can’ is the present tense version of the word and ‘could’ is the past tense version of the word. ‘Could’ is also used when a condition must be fulfilled in order for the thing to happen. … When asking someone to do something, either word can be used, but ‘could’ is considered to be more polite.
Can I use could in a sentence?
In the sentence We could have as many as ten people come to dinner tonight, could is used to say that it is possible that ten people will come to the speaker’s home for dinner (I think that it is possible we will have as many as ten people for dinner tonight.).
Would that I could VS would if I could?
Trick to Remember the Difference Could expresses possibility, while would expresses certainty and intent. A good way to remember the differences between these two words is simply to bring each word back to its root verb. Could is the past tense of can. Would is the past tense of will.
Could just do meaning?
might/may/could just do something Definitions and Synonyms. phrase. DEFINITIONS1. used for saying that although something is not at all likely to happen, it is possible.
When we use could would should?
Just remember that could is used to talk about something that can happen, would is used to talk about something that will happen in an imagined situation, and should is used to talk about something that ought to happen or must happen.
Could vs Can grammar?
‘Can’ is a modal verb, which is used with the main verb to express the ability of a person or thing in doing something. On the other extreme, ‘could’ is the past participle or second form of the verb, which is used with the main verb to talk about a past the ability of an individual in doing something.
Could of Versus could have?
Trick to Remember the Difference You should never use could of. It is a mistake by careless writers that results from a misunderstanding of spoken English. Since could have is a verb phrase, and of is preposition, you will always know to use could have as long as you can remember the parts of speech of have and of.
Would you be grateful if you could?
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. I would be grateful if you could/would … formalASK FOR something/ASK somebody TO DO something used to make a request I would be most grateful if you could send me an invoice in due course.
When to use if you could?
In this question, the modal verb could is another way of saying if you were able to, or if you had the ability to, or if it were possible to. These questions follow the same pattern: if you could + verb, question word + would + verb? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Would you or could you?
‘Could You’ is considered to be an informal way of asking something, contrary, ‘Would You’ is a formal way of requesting someone to do something.
Where do we use could?
We use could to show that something is possible, but not certain: They could come by car. (= Maybe they will come by car.) They could be at home.
Can you please or could you please?
Originally Answered: Can you please or Could you please — which is correct? Could is the polite form of canso both are correct, but we use them in different situations. We use can when we are telling someone to do something. We use could when we are making a request.
Could meaning and examples?
The definition of could is often used in the place of can to show a little doubt. An example of could is someone asking if they can help someone. An example of could is saying that something is able to happen if someone does something. Used to indicate ability or permission in the past.
Would VS could polite?
How to remember the difference. When it comes to requests, we can use both could and would, but could is more formal and polite than would. While making polite requests, could is used with suggestions, as it indicates a possibility. On the contrary, would is used with offers or invites, because it is more usual.
What is the difference between May and could?
Could is the past tense of can. So, it has a similar meaning to can. ‘May’ is used to denote a sense of possibility or a term of factual statement in a sentence. It is used to state that something is possible in the future or present.
Could can be used in future tense?
The use of ‘could’, ‘would’, or ‘will be’ all imply future tense. The past tense version would be: You could not have made me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could have made you so.
Could well be meaning?
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English may/might/could wellused to say that something is likely to happen or is likely to be true What you say may well be true. You could try the drugstore, but it might well be closed by now.
Could just as well meaning?
used for saying that one action or situation is as good or as possible as another. The traffic is so bad, we might just as well walk. Synonyms and related words.
Could use meaning?
informal. used to say that you would like something: I could use some help putting these decorations up if you’re not too busy.
Would usage examples?
The Many Uses of ‘Would’ in Everyday Speech, Part 1
Uses of ‘Would’ | Example |
---|---|
Reported speech | Anita said that she would bring the drinks. |
Present unreal conditionals (imaginary situations) | I would move to Japan if I spoke Japanese. |
Repeated past actions | When I was little, I would play hopscotch with my friends. |
What is could have in grammar?
1: Could have + past participle means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn’t do it. (See also modals of ability.) I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early. They could have won the race, but they didn’t try hard enough.
Can could will would shall should?
All modal verbs are auxiliary verbs, which means they can only be used with a main verb. Modal verbs cannot be a main verb. The modal verbs are; will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might and must.
Is could past tense?
Could has no tenses, no participles, and no infinitive form. There is no past tense, but could have followed by a past participle is used for referring to something in the past that was not real, or something that may possibly have been real: I could have been killed.
Could vs CAN example?
We use can and can’t to talk about someone’s skill or general abilities: She can speak several languages. … She could speak several languages. They couldn’t dance very well.
How do you use could you please?
We also use ‘could’ to ask permission; it is more polite or formal than ‘can’. Changing the word order to could you please is no more or less polite – it’s a matter of style. whether requests starting with Please can/could you… render the same degree of politeness as those that start with Could you please….
Could of is wrong?
Because have (or the contraction form) sounds like of when spoken quickly, it’s common for writers to use the word of instead of have or its contraction. But it’s grammatically incorrect to use the could of/would of/should of construction. Never, ever write could of, would of, or should of.
Could have or could have had?
3 Answers. Which could have in this case would indicate that the impact is still to come. If the study has concluded then Could have had would be much more appropriate. If the study is still in progress, could have an impact is correct.
Could have done or could of done?
So if the word can represents the ability to do; ‘could’ represents past versions, of having done something, gained permission or made a request. So the past word of ‘could’ is correctly paired in these instances with the past word of ‘have’. Yet many people replace ‘have’ with ‘of’.