can
gb/kən/ us/kən/
A1
Inglese
~ 100
Accezioni
0 accezioni
Verbo
A1
state
1
Express ability or possibility
To be able to do something.
Schema d'uso:
can [verb] [something]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes confuse 'can' for future ability, but it usually refers to present general ability; 'will be able to' is used for future ability.
Sinonimi
be able to (More formal or explicit way to express ability.)
Contrari
cannot (Direct opposite meaning; expresses inability or impossibility.)
Collocazioni
can help
|can see
|can go
|can make
|can use
Temi
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- She can speak three languages fluently.
- You can park your car here after 6 p.m.
- I can finish the report by tomorrow if needed.
- Can you hear me clearly?
- We can visit the museum this weekend.
Esempi per chi studia
- I can swim.
- He can run fast.
- She can play the guitar.
- We can go to the park.
- You can use my pen.
Verbo
A1
state
2
Express permission
To be allowed to do something.
Schema d'uso:
can [verb] [something]
Errore comune:
Learners sometimes confuse 'can' for permission with 'may'; 'can' is common in everyday speech, while 'may' is more formal.
Sinonimi
may ('May' is more formal and polite for permission.)
Contrari
must not (Indicates prohibition rather than permission.)
Collocazioni
can enter
|can leave
|can borrow
|can stay
|can eat
Temi
daily life
|rules
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Esempi
- You can take photos inside the museum.
- Employees can leave early on Fridays.
- 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.
Esempi per chi studia
- You can go now.
- We can eat here.
- She can use my phone.
- He can open the window.
- They can play outside.
Sostantivo
A2
entity
3
Metal container for food/drink
A round metal container that holds food or drink.
Sinonimi
tin (Informal synonym mainly used in British English for canned food container.)
Contrari
bottle (A rigid container, often glass or plastic, not metal.)
Collocazioni
tin can
|soda can
|empty can
|open a can
Temi
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Esempi
- He drank a can of soda during lunch.
- The soup comes in a large can.
- Please recycle your empty cans here.
- I opened a can of beans for dinner.
- They crushed the aluminum cans for recycling.
Esempi per chi studia
- I have a can of juice.
- This is a can of soup.
- He drinks from a can.
- She opens a can of beans.
- We recycle cans.
Verbo
B1
action
4
Preserve food by sealing in cans/jars
To put food into sealed containers so it stays good for a long time.
Schema d'uso:
to can [food]
Sinonimi
preserve (Broader term that includes other methods besides sealing in cans.)
Contrari
spoil (To become bad or rotten, opposite of preserving.)
Collocazioni
can vegetables
|can fruit
|home canning
Temi
food
|food_drink
|daily_life
Esempi
- We canned peaches from our garden last summer.
- They know how to can tomatoes at home.
- The factory cans fish for export.
- She learned how to can jam from her grandmother.
Esempi per chi studia
- We can fruit in jars.
- They can tomatoes at home.
- He cans fish for sale.
- My mother cans vegetables.
- We can food for winter.
Verbo
informal
B2
action
5
Dismiss someone from employment
To tell someone they no longer have their job.
Schema d'uso:
to can [someone]
Sinonimi
fire ('Fire' is more neutral and widely used; 'can' is informal and slightly slangy.)
Contrari
hire (To give someone a job, opposite of dismissing them.)
Collocazioni
get canned
|be canned
Temi
work
Esempi
- They canned the manager after poor sales results.
- He got canned for always being late.
- The company canned several employees last month.
Esempi per chi studia
- He was canned yesterday.
- They canned her after one month.
- The boss canned him for being late.
- She got canned last week.
Grammatica
Forma base
can
IPA
GB/kən/
US/kən/
Sillabe e accento
can (1 sillaba)
Forme flesse
Verb
- Base: can
- Past: could
Famiglia di parole
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
Punti chiave
- Irregular past: could Verb
Espressioni
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.
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi
- 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.
Esempi
- 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.