Free lesson Level A1 · Lesson · Unit: Right Now & Plans

Can & can't

Can and can't

Can and can't talk about ability and permission. We use can for something a person is able to do: I can swim. We also use can to ask for or give permission: Can I sit here?

She can cook very well.

Can I use your phone?

Form

Can is easy because it is the same with all subjects: I can, you can, he can. After can and can't, use the base verb: swim, drive, cook, sing. Do not add to.

Subject	Positive	Negative
I	can swim	can't swim
you	can drive	can't drive
he / she	can cook	can't cook
we / they	can dance	can't dance

Questions with can

To make a question, put can before the subject: Can you swim? Short answers are Yes, I can. and No, I can't.

Question	Short answer
Can you swim?	Yes, I can. / No, I can't.
Can she drive?	Yes, she can. / No, she can't.
Can they dance?	Yes, they can. / No, they can't.

Can you play tennis?

No, I can't.

Ability and permission

Use can for ability when you talk about skills: He can sing. Use can for permission when you ask if something is OK: Can we go now? The form is the same, so the meaning comes from the situation.

My brother can't drive.

Can we play here?

Words in this lesson

Word	Meaning	Example
swim	swim	I can swim fast.
drive	drive	She can't drive.
cook	cook	Can you cook pasta?
sing	sing	They can sing well.
dance	dance	We can dance together.
play tennis	play tennis	Can he play tennis?
ride a bike	ride a bike	My sister can ride a bike.
play football	play football	I can't play football very well.
draw	draw	Can your child draw?
use	use	Can I use your pen?

Exercises

This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:

multiple choice: 3
fill the gap: 3
match the pairs: 1
build the sentence: 1
translate the sentence: 1
listen and type: 1

Try the first one

Choose the correct sentence about ability.

She can cook.
She can to cook.
She cans cook.
She cook can.

The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.

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