Escriba la forma adecuada de can o may en los espacios en blanco.
1. Can expresa habilidad en el present, y nunca cambia de forma. En pasado, se emplea
could.
She can drive a lorry. (Ella sabe conducir un camión.)
They could swim like a fish when they were kids. (Sabían nadar como un pez cuando eran niños.)
Con los otros tiempos verbales, usamos
be able to, ya que
can es un verbo defectivo
, esto es, carece de algunas formas verbales.
I have been able to drive since I was eighteen (years old). (present perfect » Sé conducir desde los 18 años.)
She will be able to lend you a hand when she comes. (futuro » Podrá echarte una mano cuando venga.)
La negativa se hace con
can't (forma contracta) o
cannot (forma sin contraer). Nótese que
cannot se escribe junto. Para la interrogativa se pone
can delante del sujeto.
He can't/cannot play the guitar. (No sabe tocar la guitarra.)
Can he play the guitar? (¿Sabe tocar la guitarra?)
En cuanto a
could, la negativa es
could not; y para la interrogativa, se coloca
could delante del sujeto.
She could not/couldn't play chess as a girl. (No sabía jugar al ajedrez de niña.)
Could she play chess as a girl? (¿Sabía jugar al ajedrez de niña?)
a They __________ (not) sing at all, so they will not __________ sing in the school choir.
b I __________ learn languages very easily when I was at school.
c "__________ you speak French?"
"I __________ speak it as a child, but I _____(not) now."
d We will not __________ help you if you don't tell us the truth.
e She hasn't __________ speak since her accident.
2. Could únicamente es posible para indicar habilidad general en el pasado, en la negativa o con verbos como "see" o "hear", es decir, con verbos de percepción. Si nos referimos a una ocasión específica, empleamos
was/were able to.
As a child, I could run and jump all day without getting tired. (habilidad general » De niño, podía correr y dar brincos todo el día sin cansarme.)
When she entered the house, she could smell gas. ("Smell" es un verbo de percepción » Cuando entró en la casa, olió a gas.)
I lost my wallet in the street, but I was able to find. (en una ocasión en particular o específica » Perdí la cartera en la calle, pero pude encontrarla/me las arreglé para encontrarla/la encontré.)
I lost my wallet in the street, but I couldn't find it. (negativa » Perdí la cartera en la calle, pero no pude encontrarla/no la encontré.)
a As she entered her room, she __________ perceive an unpleasant odour. Her dog had done its business on the carpet.
b Almost everybody failed the exam, but my son __________ pass it.
c He __________ (not) do anything to save them: they had already drowned when he got there.
d When I was at university, I __________ spend a lot of time reading, but now I can't.
e Last year, he __________ break the world record for javeling throwing.
3. Para pedir permiso, se emplea
can (o más formalmente,
could o
may); para darlo,
can o
may (formal). Véanse los siguientes ejemplos:
"Can/Could/May I go to the loo?" (¿Puedo ir al servicio?)
"Yes, of course!" (Sí, por supuesto!)
You can/may go to the cinema with your friend, but don't come home late. (Puedes ir al cine con tu amigo, pero no llegues a casa tarde.)
Can y
may no poseen todas las formas verbales. Por lo tanto, recurrimos a la perífrasis
be allowed to cuando
can o
may no sean posibles. Obsérvense los siguientes ejemplos:
We have been allowed to use this swimming-pool since we moved into this house. (Se nos ha permitido usar esta piscina desde que nos mudamos a esta casa.)
She used to be allowed to arrive home after midnight. (Se le dejaba llegar a casa después de medianoche.)
From next week on, you will not be allowed to smoke/you can't smoke in your bedrooms. (A partir de la semana que viene, no se (os) permitira fumar/no podéis fumar en las habitaciones.)
He could/was allowed to stay up until midnight when he was twelve. (Se le dejaba estar levantado hasta la medianoche cuando tenía doce años.)
a "__________ I sit down?"
"Yes, please do."
b You've been a good boy, so you __________ telly tonight.
c We haven't __________ park in this street since last year.
d She __________ do what she wanted when she was living with her grandparents.
e "__________ I go with you, daddy?"
"Yes, sweetheart!"
4. May también puede significar "es posible que" o "puede que":
We may visit her this afternoon. (Puede que/Es posible que la visitemos esta tarde.)
La negativa se hace con
not detrás de
may, y normalmente sin contraer:
She may not come tomorrow. (Puede que no venga mañana.)
En la interrogativa, utilizamos
do you think...?:
Do you think (that) she will come tomorrow? (¿Crees que vendrá mañana?)
Si nos referimos a una posibilidad general, utilizamos
can; en el pasado,
could:
The sea can often be dangerous. (El mar puede ser a menudo peligroso.)
When she was a child, she could be very naughty at times. (De niña/Cuando era niña, podía ser muy traviesa/mala a veces.)
Could y
might indican que la posibilidad es más remota o improbable:
She could/might do it. (Puede que lo haga, pero no lo creo muy probable.)
a We __________ go swimming this afternoon. If so, would you like to come?
b "He hasn't studied at all."
"Well, still, he __________ pass."
"If you say so!"
c The bite of this snake __________ often be fatal.
d "I __________ (not) tell them. I don't know what to do. Shall I tell them?"
"Well, this is up to you!"
e "__________ it will rain this afternoon?"
"I really don't know!"
5. Observe que
un verbo modal + have + participio de pasado se refiere al pasado:
She may/might have had an accident. (Puede que haya tenido un accidente.)
You could have told me that he was not going to come! (¡Podrías haberme dicho que no iba a venir!)
She can't/couldn't have done such a thing. (Es imposible que ella hiciera tal cosa/Ella no pudo haber hecho tal cosa.)
a "The Smiths were coming to the barbecue, but haven't arrived yet, and it's getting very late."
"They __________ have forgotten to come."
"I don't think so. They love barbecues. They __________ have had a puncture."
"A puncture _____(not) have delayed them so much!"
"Let's phone them to see what has happened to them."
"OK!"
b You __________ have told me that the exam was postponed. I spent all night long studying!
c They __________ (not) have talked to him last night: he's abroad!
d He __________ (not) have bought a Rolls-Royce. He's as poor as a church mouse.
e You __________ have taken a taxi! Why didn't you take a taxi?
6. Ejercicio de revisión.
a "__________ you dance a walts?"
"No, I'm afraid I _____(not)."
b That year I __________ get the gold medal. It was the happiest day of my life.
c We __________ tour the world next summer, but still don't know for sure.
d Sometimes he __________ be very sweet, but he used to be very strict.
e That place __________ be very dangerous. So I don't want you to go there again.
f He __________ fail, but I think he'll pass.
g You __________ (not) pick your nose in front of everybody. It's not appropriate for a young lady.
h "__________ they'll let you down?"
"No, I don't think so."
i They __________ (not) have read the book, or they would know the plot.
j "I __________ play draughts very well. Shall we have a game now?"
"I'm very sorry, but I _____(not) play draughts. What about a game of cards, instead?"
k "__________ I go to tonight's concert, daddy?"
"Yes, you __________ as long as you don't get home very late."
l I __________ see that something fishy was going on, so I decided to leave at once.
m She used to __________ cheer us up in no time at all. We miss her a lot.
n "__________ I speak, sir?"
"Yes, go ahead."
o I'm afraid to tell you that Mr Turner won't __________ attend the meeting. He's got a terrible cold.
p Well, they __________ help you, but this is very unlikely.
q He hasn't __________ see her since she was in hospital. He's been very busy lately.
r We had better
stay here, as it __________ rain this afternoon.
s There __________ be another strike next week, so we'd better cancel our flight.
t You __________ stay here as long as you don't interfere.
u "__________ I help you, madam?"
"Yes, I'm looking for a yellow pair of shoes."
v He __________ be very ugly, but he's so sweet and intelligent. I'm in love with him.
w When I was at school, I __________ do square roots very easily, but I _____(not) now.
x You _____(not) do that. It's very impolite.
y You _____(not) take a day off. We have a lot of work at the office these days.
z You __________ have waited for me. I'm very cross that you didn't.
____________________
Pulse aquí para más información sobre verbos defectivos.
En este sentido, cabe la posibilidad de usar
was/were able to, pero es menos usual.
As a child, I was able to run and jump all day without getting tired.
En pasado, empleamos
was/were allowed to para referirnos a una situación concreta o específica. Véase la sección
2 de esta unidad.
He was allowed to stay up all night yersterday, as it was Christmas Eve. (Se le dejó estar/quedarse levantado toda la noche, ya que era Nochebuena.)
Compare esta oración con la siguiente:
She can't come tomorrow. (No puede venir mañana.)
Véase también la
unidad 4, sección 7.
Had better significa "es mejor que" o "más vale que".