UrbanPro
Login Ask & Answer Success Stories Paid Courses Free Classes Tuition & Classes Fees Write a Review Help Center
Post your Learning Need Signup as a Tutor
✕

Popular Cities

Bangalore

Hyderabad

Delhi

Mumbai

Chennai

Pune

Kolkata

Gurgaon

Ahmedabad

Jaipur

Noida

✕

Learn Spoken English from the Best Tutors

  • Affordable fees
  • 1-1 or Group class
  • Flexible Timings
  • Verified Tutors

Book a Free Demo

Spoken English > In questions, when to use can and may?
✕

Search in

In questions, when to use can and may?

Asked by Last Modified  

8 Answers

Follow 0
Answer

Please enter your answer

Mechanical Engineer

Can is used in the context of questioning the possibility or ability of something or someone, as in "can you fly?," "can you swim?," " can this happen?," can you please lend me some money?" whereas may is used in such cases when seeking permission as in "may I know your name please?" "may I go?" ...
read more
Can is used in the context of questioning the possibility or ability of something or someone, as in "can you fly?," "can you swim?," " can this happen?," can you please lend me some money?" whereas may is used in such cases when seeking permission as in "may I know your name please?" "may I go?" Also when you are trying to be more formal, you can use 'may' instead of 'can' read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Excellence Award Winner ( 7 times )

we use "may" to ask for permission or to grant permission, we use "will" or "can" when we want to ask someone to do something
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

English Language Expert

Use May and Can with I to ask for permission to do something: May I come in? (formal) Can I come in? (informal) Could I come in? (informal but more polite than 'can') Can you wait for a minute? (request) Could you wait for a minute? (request, more polite than 'can') Can you complete the...
read more
Use May and Can with I to ask for permission to do something: May I come in? (formal) Can I come in? (informal) Could I come in? (informal but more polite than 'can') Can you wait for a minute? (request) Could you wait for a minute? (request, more polite than 'can') Can you complete the project by 20th? (Is it possible?) Can refers to possibility here and not request. read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

communication and soft skills trsiner

hi, Swarna In English helping verbs help a lot in speaking especially you're asking "may"&"can". 1. MAY :- is used for uncertainty things (chances of happening mean while probability ) for example : It may rain today. We are going to trip, you may also join with us. tell me your problem. we may...
read more
hi, Swarna In English helping verbs help a lot in speaking especially you're asking "may"&"can". 1. MAY :- is used for uncertainty things (chances of happening mean while probability ) for example : It may rain today. We are going to trip, you may also join with us. tell me your problem. we may find out solution( he is not sure of finding out a solution but probably it may or may not ). 2.CAN :- ability to do things for example : I can speak a good English ( means you have a capability of speaking a good English ). we can definitely solve your problem . if you think, you can also learn any foreign language. can you give me Rd. 5000? wish you all the best Swarna regards Veena Acharya English trainer read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

learn with a smile

'Can' implies ability. .'May'asks for permission .
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Success Coach , helping you to achieve your dreams & aspirations

can - I CAN do it. (affirmation to mind and self) may- I may go for vacation (state of confusion or not sure. )
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Can & May both are auxiliary (helping) verbs. 'May' is used for permission in a formal way,i.e when you are taking permission from your teachers,person of higher designation,higher authorities,parents etc. E.g- May I come in? 'Can' is used for taking permission in an informal way,i.e when talking...
read more
Can & May both are auxiliary (helping) verbs. 'May' is used for permission in a formal way,i.e when you are taking permission from your teachers,person of higher designation,higher authorities,parents etc. E.g- May I come in? 'Can' is used for taking permission in an informal way,i.e when talking to your friends,colleagues,juniors,etc. E.g-Can I use your pen? read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Tutor

Modal Can They can control their own budgets. We can’t fix it. Can I smoke here? Can you help me? Used for Ability / Possibility Inability / Impossibility Asking for permission Request Could Could I borrow your dictionary? Could you say it again more slowly? We could try to fix it ourselves. I...
read more
Modal Can They can control their own budgets. We can’t fix it. Can I smoke here? Can you help me? Used for Ability / Possibility Inability / Impossibility Asking for permission Request Could Could I borrow your dictionary? Could you say it again more slowly? We could try to fix it ourselves. I think we could have another Gulf War. He gave up his old job so he could work for us. Used for Asking for permission. Request Suggestion Future possibility Ability in the past May May I have another cup of coffee? China may become a major economic power. Used for Asking for permission Future possibility Might We'd better phone tomorrow, they might be eating their dinner now. They might give us a 10% discount. Present possibility Future possibility Must We must say good-bye now. They mustn’t disrupt the work more than necessary. Used for Necessity / Obligation Prohibition read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

View 6 more Answers

Related Questions

What are some English grammar writing advice?
1.Read, read, read. The more you read, the more you will be exposed to good grammar and usage. Pay attention to how authors use language and try to incorporate their techniques into your own writing. 2.Consult...
Alifiya
How to improve communication skill?
Hi Amarjeet.. Ok then that's a commonly asked question which should be answered now. Communication means conveying your thoughts in such a manner that the listener understands..So whichever language...
Amarjeet
Which are the best spoken English classes?
Dear students Spoken English cannot be acquired in one night You should practice every day in morning and evening in fact day to day working life So that it give new words and phrases sentence to understand...
Sandeep
0 0
5
Hi Sir or Madam, I want to speak in English fluently without fear.
followed the word power made easy book
Preethi
What's the meaning of "blend in with somebody," like in this sentence, “This teacher is capable of blending in with the students.” Does it mean the same as "identify with somebody?"
'Blend in' would mean close to the meaning of mixing up so well so that the person does not stand out. SO the opposite of 'blend in' would be 'stand out' ' be different'. Whereas 'identify with' could mean understands very well and be in sync with.
Abishiek
0 0
5

Now ask question in any of the 1000+ Categories, and get Answers from Tutors and Trainers on UrbanPro.com

Ask a Question

Related Lessons

English Grammer -
ARTICLES ‘The’ is used for a particular thing, person, names of rivers, ocean, seas, hills, lakes, trains, ships, deserts, name of newspapers,...

Kumar upendra

3 0
0
10 Mistakes To Avoid In Interviews...MISTAKE NO. 10 #Dezinecareers

Debeshi

1 0
0
Tenses in English
The English language has a total of twelve tenses. Namely: Simple present Present continuous Present perfect Present perfect continuous Simple past Past continuous Past perfect Past perfect continuous Simple...

Divya

0 0
0
Greeting someone and answering them back
Greeting someone How to answer them How are you? How have you been? How are things? How is your girlfriend? ...

Sridevi

0 1
0
How borrowed vocabulary helps you learn English faster
English is a historical patchwork — it has absorbed words from Latin, French, Old Norse, Arabic, Hindi, and many other languages — and that makes it full of familiar loanwords for speakers...

Mohanraj

0 0
0

Recommended Articles

Learning foreign language in India

If you think English is enough to communicate with anybody in this world, you are sadly misinformed. Statistically the highest spoken foreign language in the world is Chinese with 20.7%, followed by English at 6.2%. That means that 93.8% of people do not speak English. This makes it necessary to learn another foreign language...

Read full article >

Choosing the right Foreign Language to learn...

When globalization was out of picture, it was enough to know just the mother tongue. Since globalization and out-sourcing have become part of life, there is a nagging need to learn new languages. Foreign languages help us to communicate with potential clients, sell our ideas and bond with their culture. It could be opening...

Read full article >

Job Prospects for German Language Learners

Due to globalization of the Indian economy, the demand for learning foreign languages is on the rise. ITES (Information Technology Enabled Service) and Outsourcing have brought a lot of job opportunities paving the way for the learning foreign languages. German is the native language of more than 100 million people in...

Read full article >

Which language is more useful to learn French...

Learning any second language could be a little bit tricky. However, to learn a language, one needs to write, read, understand and speak it appropriately. Therefore, many students and professionals find it helpful in learning a foreign language from a reputable and reliable source. A second language helps them to increase...

Read full article >

Find Spoken English classes near you
Spoken English classes in Delhi
Spoken English classes in Bangalore
Spoken English classes in Hyderabad
Spoken English classes in Chennai
Spoken English classes in Mumbai
Spoken English classes in Kolkata
Spoken English classes in Pune
Spoken English classes in Noida
Spoken English classes in Gurgaon
Spoken English classes in Lucknow
Online Spoken English Classes

Looking for Spoken English classes?

Learn from the Best Tutors on UrbanPro

Are you a Tutor or Training Institute?

Join UrbanPro Today to find students near you
X

Looking for Spoken English Classes?

The best tutors for Spoken English Classes are on UrbanPro

  • Select the best Tutor
  • Book & Attend a Free Demo
  • Pay and start Learning

Learn Spoken English with the Best Tutors

The best Tutors for Spoken English Classes are on UrbanPro

This website uses cookies

We use cookies to improve user experience. Choose what cookies you allow us to use. You can read more about our Cookie Policy in our Privacy Policy

Accept All
Decline All

UrbanPro.com is India's largest network of most trusted tutors and institutes. Over 55 lakh students rely on UrbanPro.com, to fulfill their learning requirements across 1,000+ categories. Using UrbanPro.com, parents, and students can compare multiple Tutors and Institutes and choose the one that best suits their requirements. More than 7.5 lakh verified Tutors and Institutes are helping millions of students every day and growing their tutoring business on UrbanPro.com. Whether you are looking for a tutor to learn mathematics, a German language trainer to brush up your German language skills or an institute to upgrade your IT skills, we have got the best selection of Tutors and Training Institutes for you. Read more

ThinkVidya Learning Pvt Ltd © 2010-2026 All Rights Reserved