Senior Member. There is no difference in meaning, there is only difference in tone: "Could you...?" is more tentative and thus considered politer/gentler than "Can you ...?"

Can you give me or could you give me?

"Could" is the polite form of "can"—so both are correct, but we use them in different situations. We use "can" when we are telling someone to do something. We use "could" when we are making a request.

Can you or could you?

All are grammatically correct. Show activity on this post. Both are fine grammatically, but it appears that you are aiming for a relatively formal setting in which case "Could" is slightly more formal-sounding. Neither would be incorrect, however.

Could give VS can give?

comes with more of a neutral tone, implying that what Pablo said may or may not have hints embedded. 'What Pablo said could give you a hint' contains more personal involvement and subjectivity; 'What Pablo said can give you a hint' is more factual and objective.

Can you or could you or would you?

Here are three explanations you'll usually come across: “Would you” is correct, because you are asking if someone will do something and not whether they can do it. “Would you” also sounds more polite than “Could you.” “Would you” and “Could you” are equally polite and valid ways to make a request.

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Can or could use?

Could is the past tense of can. It is used to talk about ability that existed in the past. In my younger days I could run four miles at a stretch. Till last year I could read without glasses.

Can I or could I?

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.

How can can and could?

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 anyone or can anyone?

'Could' is also used when a condition must be fulfilled in order for the thing to happen. 'Can' is used when there is nothing that would stop the thing from happening. When asking someone to do something, either word can be used, but 'could' is considered to be more polite.

Can vs could for requests?

A third modal for making polite requests is could. For example, “Could I please have some water?” Could is the past tense of can. However, when asking for permission, could does not have a past tense meaning.

Could you or can you more polite?

To answer the question: "could" definitely sounds slightly more polite than "can" to a native speaker since it is less direct and more deferential as a result. "Could" is a form of "can", so both are technically asking "are you able to...". This is not the difference between the two.

Could you please vs Please could you?

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 and could exercises?

Exercises: modal verbs

• - Penguins. could. can. swim very well.
• - I. can. run very fast. when I was younger.
• - It's snowing, so we. can't. couldn't. ...
• - Yesterday we. can't. couldn't. play.
• - Could. you play the piano. ...
• - You have a nice tricycle. Can. Could. ...
• - He has a broken leg, so he. couldn't. ...
• - I. couldn't. can't.

Can I ask you or could I ask you?

It is grammatically correct to say, “Could I ask you something.” You could also say, “May I ask you something?” to be extremely polite. “Can I ask you something?” is for a present moment question.

Can you tell or could you tell?

"Yes I can tell you" or "Yes I could tell you." Most likely if it is a polite question, "could" would probably be more appropriate, though they are used pretty much interchangeably in casual speech.

Can you please help me or could you please help me?

1. can you help me - you are aksing him to help you 2. could you help me - you are asking him if hes able to help you 3. would you help me - you are asking him if he will help you Usually they are interchangeable, you can use all of them whithout changing the meaning while 2 and 3 are more polite than 1.

Can I help you or could I help you?

Broadly speaking, "can I help you?" is asking if you require any help, and "could I help you?" is asking for your permission if they should help you.

Can vs could in a question?

Can, like could and would, is used to ask a polite question, but can is only used to ask permission to do or say something ("Can I borrow your car?" "Can I get you something to drink?"). Could is the past tense of can, but it also has uses apart from that--and that is where the confusion lies.

Can you come or could you come?

They are basically the same. People argue that "could" is slightly more polite. But if you say, for example "Can / could you come here please", they have the same meaning. But "could" is actually the past of the verb "Can".

How can I use could in a sentence?

[M] [T] I could swim well even when I was a child. [M] [T] She thought she could get him to like her. [M] [T] She was so angry that she could not speak. [M] [T] Could you please repeat what you just said?

Could be Vs can be?

Can means be able to or permitted to do something. Could refers to the possibility or the ability to do something.

Could VS could have?

The word 'could' is the past tense of 'can'. It's used to mean that somebody was able to do something in the past. So the former sentence means that he was able to climb the mountain. The phrase "could have" is used to mean that somebody was capable of doing something, but he actually didn't do it.

Should I or could I?

Just remember that could is used to talk about something that can happen, would is used to talk about something that will happen in an imagined situation, and should is used to talk about something that ought to happen or must happen. I hope this helps.

Can I vs May I vs Could I?

Discussing a Possibility: “Can” suggests a strong possibility or a general truth. “May” and “could” suggest we are less certain about something. Asking for Permission: You can use all three words to ask for permission. To be formal, though, you should use “may” instead of “could” or “can.”

Can I give permission?

When we want to express permission, prohibition (not allowing something), obligation or no obligation we use modal verbs. 'Can' is most often used to ask for or give permission but 'may' and 'could' are also possible even though they are not used as often as 'can'.