could (k d)aux.v. Past tense of can1 1. Used to indicate ability or permission in the past: I could run faster then. Only men could go to the club in those days. 2. Used with hypothetical or conditional force: If we could help, we would. 3. Used to indicate tentativeness or politeness: I could be wrong. Could you come over here? |
could [kʊd]
vb (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)
1. used as an auxiliary to make the past tense of can1
2. used as an auxiliary to make the subjunctive mood of can1, esp used in polite requests or in conditional sentences could I see you tonight? she'd telephone if she could
3. used as an auxiliary to indicate suggestion of a course of action you could take the car tomorrow if it's raining
4. (often foll by well) used as an auxiliary to indicate a possibility he could well be a spy
[Old English cūthe; influenced by would, should; see can1]
Translations
could [ˈkʊd](STRONG) [kəd] pt of can
(past possibility)
In those days you could get a job easily → À l'époque, on pouvait facilement trouver du travail.
I couldn't sleep because of the noise → Je ne pouvais pas dormir à cause du bruit.
I couldn't eat it all → Je n'ai pas pu tout manger.
I could see that something was wrong → Je voyais bien que quelque chose n'allait pas.
I couldn't understand a word → Je ne comprenais rien.
In those days you could get a job easily → À l'époque, on pouvait facilement trouver du travail.
I couldn't sleep because of the noise → Je ne pouvais pas dormir à cause du bruit.
I couldn't eat it all → Je n'ai pas pu tout manger.
I could see that something was wrong → Je voyais bien que quelque chose n'allait pas.
I couldn't understand a word → Je ne comprenais rien.
(present possibility)
You could be right → Vous avez peut-être raison.
He could be in the library → Il est peut-être dans la bibliothèque.
They could have forgotten → Ils ont peut-être oublié.
She could have been delayed → Il se peut qu'elle ait été retardée.
You could be right → Vous avez peut-être raison.
He could be in the library → Il est peut-être dans la bibliothèque.
They could have forgotten → Ils ont peut-être oublié.
She could have been delayed → Il se peut qu'elle ait été retardée.
v could [kud]
1 past tense of can They asked if I could drive a car; I said I couldn't; She asked if she could go. kon إسْـتَطاعَ можех mohl, mohl by kunne pret. von `können pasado del verbo ``poder'' võima توانستن voi pouvoir יָכוֹל प्रश्नवाचक क्या mogao, mogao bi tud dapat geta potere canの過去形 can의 과거 galėjau, galėjai, galėjo boleh kon kunne poder могу (ли), может (ли) môcť, vedieť prošlo vreme gl. moći กริยาช่องที่ 2 ของกริยาช่วย can ...-ebil(ir)(miy)di... can 的過去式 могти, мати можливість سكنا chỉ sự cho phép can 的过去式
2 used to express a possibility I could go but I'm not going to; I could do it next week if you helped me. kan رُبَّمـا (للتَّـعْـبير عن الأمكانيّـه) бих могъл mohl by kunne Konjunktiv von `können para expresar posibilidad võiks امکان داشتن voisi pouvoir יָכוֹל सका, कर सकता mogao bi tud(na) mungkin geta potere やれば出来るのに 가능성을 나타냄 galėčiau, galėtum... varētu mungkin zou kunnen kunne mógłbym, mógłbyś, mógłby itd. poder (с)мог бы môcť lahko bi mogao bih สามารถ ...-ebil(ir)(miy)di... 表示可能性 виражає можливість كر سكنا، كى طاقت ركهنا sự bày tỏ khả năng 表示一种可能
could have
used to express a possibility in the past We could have gone, but we didn't.
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