EEngVocabularyEnglish vocabulary

Words / A1

verb · A1

Could

KUD/kʊd/

Past ability, or a polite request: could + verb with no to. I could swim when I was six. Could you help me? is softer than Can you…? Would is another polite helper, not the same as past ability.

Meaning

Used for past ability, or a polite request.

Examples

  • “I could swim when I was six. Could you help me?”
  • “Could you pass the salt?”
  • “He could read when he was four.”

Good to know

could + infinitive. Past of can, or a polite request.

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