could

could
could [kʊd]
modal verb
   a. (past)
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► When could refers to ability in the past, it is translated by the perfect of pouvoir, or by the imperfect if the time is continuous.
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• I couldn't phone because I had no change je n'ai pas pu téléphoner parce que je n'avais pas de monnaie
• he could be charming when he wanted to be il pouvait être charmant lorsqu'il le voulait
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► When used with a verb of perception, could is not usually translated.
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• he could hear her shouting il l'entendait crier
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► When could means knew how to, it is translated by the imperfect of savoir.
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• she could read when she was three elle savait lire à l'âge de trois ans
• I thought you could drive je pensais que tu savais conduire
► could have
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► could have is usually translated by the conditional of avoir + pu.
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• they could have been killed ils auraient pu être tués
• you could have told me before tu aurais pu me le dire plus tôt
• he could have helped us if he'd wanted to il aurait pu nous aider s'il l'avait voulu
• I could have cried j'en aurais pleuré
   b. (present)
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► When could refers to the present, the present tense is generally used in French.
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• you could be right tu as peut-être raison
• that could be the answer c'est peut-être la solution
• you could be making a big mistake tu es peut-être en train de faire une grosse erreur
• it could be true cela pourrait être vrai
   c. (conditional)
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► When could indicates future possibility, it is translated by the conditional.
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• we could win the championship this year nous pourrions gagner le championnat cette année
• he could be released next year il pourrait être libéré l'année prochaine
• you could try telephoning him tu pourrais lui téléphoner
• you could at least apologize! tu pourrais au moins t'excuser !
   d. (polite requests)
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► When could you, could I etc are polite requests, the conditional of pouvoir is used.
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• could you pass me the salt, please? pourriez-vous me passer le sel, s'il vous plaît ?
• could I have a word with you? est-ce que je pourrais vous parler un instant (s'il vous plaît) ?
* * *
[kʊd]
can I

English-French dictionary. 2013.

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