can
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology 1
Old English cunnan (“‘to know (how)’”).
[edit] Pronunciation
- (stressed)
- (unstressed)
[edit] Verb
|
Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
- (third-person singular simple present can, present participle -, simple past could, past participle couth (obsolete except in adjective use))
- (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To know how to; to be able to.
- She can speak English, French, and German.
- I can play football.
- Can you remember your fifth birthday?
- (modal auxiliary verb, defective, informal) May; to be permitted or enabled to.
- You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.
- Can I use your pen?
- (obsolete, transitive) To know.
[edit] Usage notes
For missing forms, substitute inflected forms of be able to, as:
- I might be able to go.
- I was able to go yesterday.
- I had been able to go before.
- I will be able to go tomorrow.
The word could also suffices in many tenses. "I would be able to go" is equivalent to "I could go", and "I was not able to go" can be rendered "I couldn't go". (Unless there is a clear indication otherwise, "could verb" means "would be able to verb", but "couldn't verb" means "was/were not able to verb".)
The present tense negative can not is often contracted to cannot or can't.
The use of can in asking permission is sometimes criticized as being impolite or incorrect by those who favour the more formal alternative "may I...?".
Can is sometimes used rhetorically to issue a command, placing the command in the form of a request. For instance, "Can you hand me that pen?" as a polite substitution for "Hand me that pen."
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Translations
|
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
[edit] Etymology 2
Middle English < Old English canne (“‘glass, container, cup’”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
|
Singular |
Plural |
can (plural cans)
- A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium.
- A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
- A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish.
- (US, euphemism) toilet, bathroom.
- (US, euphemism) buttocks.
- (slang) headphones
[edit] Synonyms
- (cyclindrical metal container): tin (British & Australian at least)
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
|
|
|
|
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
|
|
[edit] Verb
|
Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to can (third-person singular simple present cans, present participle canning, simple past and past participle canned)
- To preserve, by heating and sealing in a can or jar.
- They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
- to discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
- He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
- To shut up.
- Can your gob.
- (US, euphemism) To fire or dismiss an employee.
- The boss canned him for speaking out.
[edit] Translations
|
|
[edit] Anagrams
[edit] Afar
[edit] Noun
can
[edit] Azeri
[edit] Etymology
From Persian جان (jân), “‘soul, vital spirit, life’”), whence also Turkish can and Armenian ջան (ǰan).
[edit] Noun
can
[edit] Classical Nahuatl
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /kaːn/
[edit] Adverb
cān
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Galician
[edit] Etymology
[edit] Noun
can m. (plural cans)
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Interlingua
[edit] Noun
|
Singular |
Plural |
can (plural canes)
[edit] Irish
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: [kan̪ˠ]
[edit] Verb
can
- To sing.
[edit] Inflection
- Finite forms
| Analytic | 1st sing. | 2d sing. | 3d sing. | Autonomous | |
| 1st pl. | 2d pl. | 3d pl. | |||
| Present | canann | canaim | canair* | cantar | |
| canaimid | canaid* | ||||
| Imperfect | chanadh | chanainn | chantá | chantaí | |
| chanaimis | chanaidís | ||||
| Past | chan | chanas* | chanais* | canadh | |
| chanamar | chanabhar* | chanadar* | |||
| Future | canfaidh | canfad* | canfair* | canfar | |
| canfaimid; canfam* |
canfaid* | ||||
| Conditional | chanfadh | chanfainn | chanfá | chanfaí | |
| chanfaimis | chanfaidís | ||||
| Present subjunctive | cana | canad* | canair* | cantar | |
| canaimid | canaid* | ||||
| Past subjunctive | canadh | canainn | cantá | cantaí | |
| canaimis | canaidís | ||||
| Imperative | canadh | canaim | can | cantar | |
| canaimis | canaigí | canaidís | |||
| *(Nonstandard) | |||||
[edit] Mutation
| Irish mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis | |
| can | chan | gcan | |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
|||
[edit] Italian
[edit] Noun
can m. (plural cani)
[edit] Mandarin
[edit] Pinyin syllable
can
- A transliteration of any of a number of Chinese characters properly represented as having one of four tones, cān, cán, cǎn, or càn.
[edit] Usage notes
English transcriptions of Chinese speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Chinese language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.
[edit] Occitan
[edit] Noun
can m. (plural cans)
[edit] Spanish
[edit] Etymology
From Latin canis. Compare Aromanian cãne, Portuguese cão.
[edit] Noun
can m. (plural canes)
|
Singular |
Plural |
[edit] See also
[edit] Turkish
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: dʒan
[edit] Etymology
From Persian جان (jân), “‘soul, vital spirit, life’”).
[edit] Noun
can (definite accusative canı, plural canlar)
[edit] Declension
[edit] See also
[edit] Welsh
[edit] Adjective
can
[edit] Noun
can m. (plural caniau)
[edit] Mutation
| Welsh mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
| can | gan | nghan | chan |