can
gb/kən/ us/kən/
A1
English
~ 100
tud, képes, lehetősége van, szabad, megengedett, konzervdoboz, doboz, konzerv, befőz, eltesz, konzervál, kirúg, elbocsát, meneszt
VERB
A1
1
Usage pattern:
can [verb] [something]
She can speak three languages fluently.
Három nyelven tud folyékonyan beszélni.
You can park your car here after 6 p.m.
Este hat után itt le tudod parkolni az autódat.
I can finish the report by tomorrow if needed.
Can you hear me clearly?
We can visit the museum this weekend.
Learner examples
I can swim.
Tudok úszni.
He can run fast.
Gyorsan tud futni.
She can play the guitar.
We can go to the park.
You can use my pen.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'can' for future ability, but it usually refers to present general ability; 'will be able to' is used for future ability.
Meaning
Express ability or possibility
Collocations
can help
|can see
|can go
|can make
|can use
Synonyms
be able to (More formal or explicit way to express ability.)
Antonyms
cannot (Direct opposite meaning; expresses inability or impossibility.)
Themes
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To be able to do something.
To have the ability, permission, or opportunity to do something.
VERB
A1
2
szabad
A2
megengedett
B1
Usage pattern:
can [verb] [something]
You can take photos inside the museum.
A múzeumban szabad fényképezni.
Employees can leave early on Fridays.
Péntekenként az alkalmazottak korábban elmehetnek.
Visitors can use the free Wi-Fi in the lobby.
Students can borrow up to five books at a time.
You can sit wherever you like.
Learner examples
You can go now.
Most már mehetsz.
We can eat here.
Itt ehetünk.
She can use my phone.
He can open the window.
They can play outside.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'can' for permission with 'may'; 'can' is common in everyday speech, while 'may' is more formal.
Meaning
Express permission
Collocations
can enter
|can leave
|can borrow
|can stay
|can eat
Synonyms
may ('May' is more formal and polite for permission.)
Antonyms
must not (Indicates prohibition rather than permission.)
Themes
daily life
|rules
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Definition
To be allowed to do something.
To have official or informal approval to do something.
NOUN
A2
3
He drank a can of soda during lunch.
Ebéd közben megivott egy doboz üdítőt.
The soup comes in a large can.
A leves nagy konzervdobozban kapható.
Please recycle your empty cans here.
I opened a can of beans for dinner.
They crushed the aluminum cans for recycling.
Learner examples
I have a can of juice.
Van egy doboz gyümölcslevem.
This is a can of soup.
Ez egy leveskonzerv.
He drinks from a can.
She opens a can of beans.
We recycle cans.
Meaning
Metal container for food/drink
Collocations
tin can
|soda can
|empty can
|open a can
Synonyms
tin (Informal synonym mainly used in British English for canned food container.)
Antonyms
bottle (A rigid container, often glass or plastic, not metal.)
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A round metal container that holds food or drink.
A sealed, usually cylindrical metal container for storing food or drink.
VERB
B1
4
Usage pattern:
to can [food]
We canned peaches from our garden last summer.
Tavaly nyáron befőztük a kertünkben termett őszibarackot.
They know how to can tomatoes at home.
Tudják, hogyan kell otthon paradicsomot befőzni.
The factory cans fish for export.
She learned how to can jam from her grandmother.
Learner examples
We can fruit in jars.
Gyümölcsöt teszünk el befőttesüvegekbe.
They can tomatoes at home.
Otthon paradicsomot főznek be.
He cans fish for sale.
My mother cans vegetables.
We can food for winter.
Meaning
Preserve food by sealing in cans/jars
Collocations
can vegetables
|can fruit
|home canning
Synonyms
preserve (Broader term that includes other methods besides sealing in cans.)
Antonyms
spoil (To become bad or rotten, opposite of preserving.)
Themes
food
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
To put food into sealed containers so it stays good for a long time.
To store food in airtight containers, such as metal cans or glass jars, to keep it from spoiling.
VERB
B2
INFORMAL
5
Usage pattern:
to can [someone]
They canned the manager after poor sales results.
A gyenge értékesítési eredmények után kirúgták a vezetőt.
He got canned for always being late.
Kirúgták, mert mindig elkésett.
The company canned several employees last month.
Learner examples
He was canned yesterday.
Tegnap kirúgták.
They canned her after one month.
Egy hónap után kirúgták.
The boss canned him for being late.
She got canned last week.
Meaning
Dismiss someone from employment
Collocations
get canned
|be canned
Synonyms
fire ('Fire' is more neutral and widely used; 'can' is informal and slightly slangy.)
Antonyms
hire (To give someone a job, opposite of dismissing them.)
Themes
work
Definition
To tell someone they no longer have their job.
To remove someone from their job, usually suddenly or without ceremony.
Grammar
Dictionary form
can
IPA
GB/kən/
US/kən/
Syllables & stress
can (1 syllable)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: can
- Past: could
Word family
Forms
could
verb A2
Core family
canned
adjective B1
Negative and opposite forms
cannot
modal_verb A1
can't
modal_verb A1
Advanced or less common
canning
noun B2
cannery
noun B2
can-do
adjective B2
Highlights
- Irregular past: could Verb
Expressions
can't help but
1/kˈænt hˈɛlp bˈʌt/
fixed phrase
Unable to stop oneself from doing something
Used to say you must do something because you cannot stop yourself.
Examples
- I can't help but laugh when I hear that story.
- She can't help but notice how quiet it is.
in the can
1/ˈɪn ðə kən/
idiom
informal
Finished and ready for release or use
Used to say something like a movie or project is finished and ready to be used or shown.
Examples
- The director announced the film is finally in the can.
- Our report is in the can and will be published next week.
kick the can down the road
1/kˈɪk ðə kən dˈaʊn ðə ɹˈoʊd/
idiom
Delay dealing with an issue or decision
To avoid dealing with a problem by putting it off until later.
Examples
- The committee decided to kick the can down the road on budget cuts.
- They keep kicking the can down the road instead of solving the problem now.