Could is past or present?

When could is used as the past tense of can, it refers to an ability that a person generally had in the past or to something that was generally possible in the past ("When I was younger, I could run for miles," or "It used to be you could buy lunch for a dollar.").

Is could past present or future?

Would, should and could are three auxiliary verbs that can be defined as past tenses of will, shall, and can; however, you may learn more from seeing sentences using these auxiliaries than from definitions.

Could is future or past?

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."

Can could past present?

Be able to is possible in all tenses - but "can" is possible only in the present and "could" is possible only in the past for ability. In addition, "can" and "could" have no infinitive form. So we use be able to when we want to use other tenses or the infinitive.

Could do meaning?

If you say that you could do with something, you mean that you need it or would benefit from it. I could do with a cup of tea. The range could do with being extended. See full dictionary entry for do.

PAST MODALS: could have | may have | might have | must have | should have | would have - GRAMMAR

Is could only used in the past?

Note that could doesn't always refer to past time. It refers to past time only when the context makes the time clear. Could is the past tense of can in indirect speech.

How do we use could?

When could is used as the past tense of can, it refers to an ability that a person generally had in the past or to something that was generally possible in the past ("When I was younger, I could run for miles," or "It used to be you could buy lunch for a dollar.").

Is it can or could?

Both 'can' and ' could' are modal verbs that refer to 'a possibility', 'ability' or 'capacity'. 'Can' refers to a general truth or something that has a strong possibility. 'Could' refers to something that has a weak possibility, or something that might happen, but not necessarily a general truth.

Can we use could for future?

We often use could to express possibility in the present and the future.

Could you meaning?

“Would you” and “Could you” are equally polite and valid ways to make a request. “Could you” sounds more polite than “Would you.” “Would you” sounds more insistent and is more often used in angry requests, such as “Would you please hurry up!”

Could have been used?

"Could have been" = could have + the verb BE. Examples: I could have been there on time if I had left home earlier. (= It was possible for me to be there on time, but it didn't happen.)

Could have meaning?

used for saying that something was possible in the past, even though it did not happen. You could have been killed. I could have told you, but I didn't think you would listen. She could have married Gerald if she'd wanted to. Synonyms and related words.

Which verb form is used with could?

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.

How use could in a sentence?

She could speak several languages. They couldn't dance very well. We use could have to say that someone had the ability or opportunity to do something, but did not do it: She could have learned Swahili, but she didn't want to.

What type of verb is the word could?

language note: Could is a modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb. Could is sometimes considered to be the past form of can1, but in this dictionary the two words are dealt with separately. You use could to indicate that someone had the ability to do something.

Should I use can or could?

The modal verbs can and could represent the ability of a person or thing in doing something. However, there is a difference in their usage, as 'can' is used in present situation, whereas we can use 'could' for talking about a past ability. Both are followed by a base form of the verb.

Can or 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...".

Can past tense?

The past form of the verb “can” is “could”, this is just used for the past simple of the verb. Just as the present form, it doesn't change for any of the pronouns.

What is the future tense of could?

We don't use Could for suggestions in the present tense. It's always in the future when Could is followed by Verb in its base form, in this case Could is followed by save. But you can use Could for past suggestions. You could have saved money for the new camera.

Can and could exercise?

Could CAN May might?

"May," "might," and "could" can all be used to say that something is possible, as in "The story may/might/could be true" or "The painting may/might/could be very old." You can use any of the three in contexts like these.

Could make or could made?

Make and Made are two verbs that refer to the same thing. That is to say that both 'make' and 'made' originate from the same verb form 'to make'. The main difference between make and made is that 'Make' is the present tense of the verb while 'Made' is the past tense of the verb.

How could meaning?

1 —used to show that one thinks that someone has done or said something shocking or wrong "We don't need his help anyway." "How can you say that?!"How could she just walk away from her children like that? 2 —used to express doubt that something will happen, is possible, etc.