Grammar · Lesson 7

Ability and permission with can

Say what someone is able to do, what is possible now, and what a person or rule allows: I can drive, She can’t come today, and Can I open the window?

45–55 min coreability, present possibility, and permissionfriendly requests15–20 min optional listening and retrieval

NoticeMeet one word with three jobs.

DiscoverUse can + base verb, always.

BuildMake questions, negatives, and short answers.

UseTalk about your real skills and rules.

Can presents an action as possible now. A skill can make it possible, a situation can make it possible, or a person or rule can allow it. In a question to another person, can can also ask for help.

Two-minute retrieval

Three quick checks from earlier lessons

Answer from memory, then check. Say each complete sentence aloud.

1The fictional family profile names one sister. My sister got two children. (have got)

2The schedule question asks about your regular weekend routine: you work on weekends? (present simple)

3A neighborhood guide introduces one place: a coffee shop on this fictional street. (there is / there are)

Notice before the rule

One driver, one hot room

"I can drive, but I can’t park downtown. Can I open the window?"

Which part talks about a skill?
Find the negative form.
Which sentence asks for permission?

Discovery check: choose the pattern

Read the whole sentence first. The meaning tells you which form fits.

1The speaker describes a learned skill: I swim, so I go to the pool every week.

2The fictional health note says night driving is not safe for Leo: He drive at night because his eyes get tired.

3The room is hot, and the learner asks the host for permission: I open the window?

4The fictional team profile lists two language skills: She speak Spanish and English, so she translates for the team.

5The music is very loud, so hearing the caller is not possible now: We hear you because the music is very loud.

6Everyone has arrived, and the chair asks the group for permission to begin: we start the meeting now?

The system: one form for every subject

With can, every subject uses the same pattern. The action verb stays in its base form.

form	pattern	example
positive	subject + can + base verb	She can help.
negative	subject + can’t + base verb	She can’t stay.
question	Can + subject + base verb?	Can she help?

Short answers: Yes, I can. / No, she can’t. Do not repeat the action verb in a short answer.

The key rule: can + base verb for every subject. I can drive, she can drive, they can drive. No -s, no do / does, ever.

Get to the root: one idea, four everyday uses

Can is a modal verb. A modal does not name the main action. It adds the speaker’s view of that action. With can, the speaker presents the action as possible now. The context explains why it is possible.

meaning	example	what it says
ability	I can swim.	A skill makes the action possible.
present possibility	I can talk now.	The situation makes the action possible now.
permission	You can leave early. Can I open the window?	A rule or a person allows it.
request	Can you help me?	You ask someone to do something for you.

Ability or this situation?

A negative with can’t does not always mean “I do not have the skill.” Compare I can’t drive in a driving lesson with I can’t drive you today because my car is at the repair shop. The first is about general ability. The second is about what the present situation allows.

Context decides the meaning

The words alone do not always tell you which meaning is active. The situation does.

sentence	likely situation	meaning
Can you drive?	choosing a driver for a trip	Do you have the ability?
Can you drive the company car?	asking about a workplace rule	Do you have permission?
Can you drive me to the airport?	asking a friend for a favor	Will you do it for me?

Can is the moving part

She can drive. → Can she drive? → She can’t drive.

Only can moves to the front or becomes negative. The base verb drive never changes. This is why Does she can drive? mixes two different systems and is not the target form.

Keep the time boundary clear

This lesson uses can for ability, permission, and possibility that are true now or generally. Do not combine present can with a finished past time. Say I could swim when I was five, not I can swim when I was five. Later lessons develop past could and future be able to.

Drill 1: ability, permission, or request

Read the whole situation first. Then choose the chunk that fits.

1The fictional staff profile says my brother repairs computers at work. My brother fix computers because he works in IT.

2I cannot lift the boxes alone, so I make a friendly request: help me with these boxes, please?

3A fictional employee has an urgent family responsibility today. Sorry, I come to the office today.

4I need the teacher’s permission before changing the topic: ask a question about the schedule?

5The posted school rule allows phones only during the break. Students use their phones during the break, but not in class.

6The live parking map shows every downtown space is full. She find a parking spot downtown this morning.

7I am in a meeting and ask for a later action: call me back after lunch?

8The fictional travel profile confirms a useful family skill. My parents speak a little English, so the group travels easily.

Permission, requests, and politeness

Can I...? is normal and friendly for everyday permission. Can you...? is often a request, not a question about skill. A calm voice, a reason when useful, and please can make the request warmer: Can you open the window, please?

purpose	question	natural response
ask permission	Can I sit here?	Sure. / Sorry, this seat is taken.
make a request	Can you send the file, please?	Of course. / Sorry, I can’t right now.
ask about ability	Can you use this program?	Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

The grammar can be identical while the social action changes. Listen to the situation before you answer. Yes, I can answers an ability question, but Sure more naturally accepts a request.

Sound natural: can or can’t in U.S. English?

In an ordinary positive statement, can is often weak and quick, like kuhn, while the action carries the main beat: I can SWIM. When can is contrasted or placed at the end, it is strong: I CAN swim and Yes, I CAN.

Negative can’t is normally stressed: I CAN’T swim. In American speech, the final t may be light or unreleased, so do not depend on that sound alone. Stress, the vowel, the following words, and the situation all help the listener. If the contrast matters, repeat the full idea clearly: I can come Friday, but I can’t come Thursday.

Listen: what does can do here?

Your teacher reads each complete fictional context once at a natural speed and once more slowly. Listen for the situation, the sentence stress, and whether can expresses ability, present possibility, permission, or a request. Check your answer before discussing the line with your tutor.

Tutor-read listening check

1Clip 1 mainly expresses .

2Clip 2 mainly expresses .

3Clip 3 is a .

4Clip 4 expresses .

5Clip 5 is a .

6Clip 6 mainly expresses .

Drill 2: type the question word or short answer

Questions start with Can. Short answers end with can or can’t, never the action verb.

1A manager asks about your general availability: you work on Saturdays?

2A travel profile asks about your sister’s ability: your sister drive?

3The profile says she does not have that skill. “Can your sister drive?” “No, she .”

4The venue is available to the group. “Can we meet here?” “Yes, we .”

5A fictional support form asks about two people’s computer ability: your parents use a computer?

6The form records a negative answer. “Can they use a computer?” “No, they .”

Read and choose

A job ad in the cafe window

"Weekend barista wanted. You can choose your hours, and you can learn everything on the job. Staff can’t park behind the cafe, but you can leave a bike in the yard. Can you start in June? Ask for Dana at the counter."

Drill 3: read, then choose

1. What can new staff choose?

2. Where can’t staff park?

3. When does the cafe want the new barista to start?

Drill 4: build the question

Build the question. Remember: can moves in front of the subject.

Drill 5: build the negative

Build the sentence. Only can’t carries the negative.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 6: one form for every subject

Tap the word that is wrong.

Drill 7: can asks its own questions

Tap the word that is wrong.

Drill 8: say it, then reveal

Read the cue, say the full sentence aloud, then reveal only after you answer.

1 I can drive. Change to she.

She can drive.

2 They can come on Friday. Make it negative.

They can’t come on Friday.

3 You want to use the meeting room. Ask for permission.

Can I use the meeting room?

4 You need help with two heavy bags. Ask a friend politely.

Can you help me with these bags, please?

5 Can he swim? Answer yes.

Yes, he can.

6 Can they stay late tonight? Answer no.

No, they can’t.

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Notes for a new library volunteer

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Email96 wordsAbout 1 min

Hi Leo, welcome to the Elm Street Library team! Here is some information for your first day.

You can park behind the library, but you can’t use the staff kitchen before noon. The cleaners are there in the morning. Our printer is very old, and it can’t print in color. Ana can help you with it. She can speak Spanish and French, so she often helps visitors at the front desk.

One question: can you work on Saturday morning? We need one more person for the children’s story hour. Please call me before Friday.

Thanks, Rosa

Find it

Tap the 6 base verbs that go with can or can’t.

Check your understanding

1. Where can Leo park?

2. Who can help Leo with the printer?

3. What does Rosa want to know?

Sort it

Ability, permission, or request?

Read each line. Is it about a skill, asking or giving permission, or asking someone to do something? Tap it, then tap its box.

Unscramble

Build can sentences

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. The room is hot. Ask for permission.
2. Negative: a staff rule.
3. A friendly request.
4. Ability: a language skill.

Memory

Question and short answer

Flip two cards. If they belong together, they stay. Find every pair in as few turns as you can.

Use it in real life

You never need to disclose your real skills, health, family, workplace, schedule, location, or access needs. Choose a fictional profile, a public role, or a teacher-provided card whenever you prefer.

Fictional skills card: Choose a character such as a cafe worker, neighbor, traveler, or new employee. Give the character three abilities and one skill they do not have yet. Ari can make coffee and use the register, but he can’t repair the machine yet.

Situation change: Give the character one action that is generally possible but unavailable today. She can drive, but she can’t drive today because the car is at the repair shop.

Information desk: Ask two permission questions and make two requests. The teacher responds naturally with Sure, Of course, or a short reason for saying no.

Meaning switch: Use the same beginning, Can you use the printer...?, once to ask about ability and once to make a request. Add enough context to make each meaning clear.

Final production: run a fictional community-center help desk

Create a 45–60 second exchange between a visitor and a staff member. Include all five pieces of evidence:

one general ability with can;
one present obstacle with can’t and a reason;
one Can I...? permission question;
one Can you...? request with a natural response;
one clear contrast in which weak can and stressed can’t are easy to hear.

The listener names the meaning of each can form and asks one follow-up question. Revise any line whose context permits more than one reading.

Reflect

Say the system back

Complete this aloud: “After can, I always use the ______ verb. Can is the same for ______ subject. For a question, ______ moves in front of the subject. The negative is ______.”

Then use a real or fictional context to say one general ability, one present obstacle, one permission question, and one friendly request.

Final quiz: can forms and meaning

1. The athletics profile confirms a positive skill: He ___ very fast.

2. ___ use your phone for a minute? My battery is dead.

3. A confirmed work shift makes the visit impossible: Sorry, we ___ come tonight because we are working.

4. Complete the short answer with one word: “Can your fictional brother cook?” “No, he ___.”

5. Complete the fictional language profile: She can ___ Spanish and Portuguese.

6. Which question correctly asks about the fictional traveler’s driving ability?

7. A manager says, “You can leave early today.” Which meaning is this?

8. A traveler points to two heavy bags and asks, “Can you help me with these bags?” Which meaning is this?

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the form, meaning, time boundary, or spoken contrast that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose the can chunk from meaning

1The fictional profile confirms a general skill: Noor repair bicycles.

2The building is closed today, so entry is not possible now: We enter the building today.

3A visitor asks whether their own action is allowed: use this chair?

4The visitor wants the staff member to repeat an action: say that again, please?

Repair the verb pattern

The fictional language profile says, “She can to speak English.” Tap the one extra word.

Thirty-second retrieval

Without looking back, use a fictional person to say one general ability and one present obstacle. Then ask one permission question and make one request.

Mina can repair bikes, but she can’t work today because the shop is closed. Can I leave a message? Can you call her tomorrow, please?