- pronunciation:
- kaen
- features:
- Language Note
| part of speech: |
auxiliary verb |
| inflections: |
can, could |
| definition 1: |
to be able to; have the ability to.
She can play the piano.- similar words:
- know
|
| definition 2: |
to have the power or right to.
Only the boss can hire and fire employees. |
| definition 3: |
to have permission to.
Can I borrow your umbrella? |
| definition 4: |
used to express the possibility for something to happen or to be a certain way.
It can get very cold in this part of the country in January.You can't be hungry yet! You just ate a big lunch! |
|
|
Nowadays, it is very common to use
can with the meaning of "to have permission to do something," but some people feel that only
may should be used for that meaning. They feel that
can should only be used to describe ability to do something. When people accept the use of both
can and
may for the meaning of permission, they agree that
may sounds more formal than
can.