{"id":272796,"date":"2026-07-19T03:02:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T08:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/?p=272796"},"modified":"2026-07-19T03:02:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T08:02:04","slug":"can-cant-ability-pre-a1-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langcom.us\/ja\/blog\/can-cant-ability-pre-a1-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn &#8216;Can&#8217; and &#8216;Can&#8217;t&#8217; for Ability (Pre-A1 English)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lc-answer\"><strong><span data-no-translation>Can<\/span> \u305d\u3057\u3066 <span data-no-translation>can&#8217;t<\/span> are essential English words to talk about abilities.<\/strong> You use <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> to say what you are able to do, like <span data-no-translation>I can speak English.<\/span> It means you have the skill or the possibility to do something. To express what you are not able to do, you use <span data-no-translation>can&#8217;t<\/span>, which is short for <span data-no-translation>cannot<\/span>. For example, <span data-no-translation>I can&#8217;t fly.<\/span> When you ask about someone&#8217;s ability, you start the question with <span data-no-translation>Can<\/span>, \u3001\u4f8b\u3048\u3070 <span data-no-translation>Can you swim?<\/span> These words are very simple to use because they do not change form for different subjects.<\/div>\n<h2>What is <span data-no-translation>Can<\/span>?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-no-translation>Can<\/span> is a modal verb. We use it to talk about ability. Ability means what you are able to do.<\/p>\n<p>You use <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> to say you have the skill or the possibility to do something.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The structure is always: <span data-no-translation>Subject + can + base form of the verb<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li>The verb after <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> does not change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"lc-cta lc-cta-blended\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding:30px;margin:30px 0;text-align:center;color:#fff;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0E63C4,#0A2540);\"><h3 style=\"color:#fff;font-size:22px;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 8px;\">\ud83c\udf93 \u30d6\u30ec\u30f3\u30c7\u30c3\u30c9\u65b9\u5f0f\u3067\u82f1\u8a9e\u3092\u5b66\u307c\u3046<\/h3><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;opacity:.95;\">\u5c11\u4eba\u6570\u5236\u30fb24\u6642\u9593365\u65e5\u5bfe\u5fdc\u306eAI\u30c1\u30e5\u30fc\u30bf\u30fc\u30fb\u30b1\u30f3\u30d6\u30ea\u30c3\u30b8\u8a66\u9a13\u5bfe\u7b56<\/p><p style=\"margin:0 0 16px;font-size:18px;\">\u4ee5\u4e0b\u306e\u30d7\u30e9\u30f3\u304b\u3089 <strong><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\" translate=\"no\">$<\/span>39<\/bdi><\/span><\/strong> <s style=\"opacity:.6;\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\" translate=\"no\">$<\/span>79<\/bdi><\/span><\/s> \u6708\u984d<\/p><a href=\"\/ja\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;margin-top:8px;padding:13px 30px;border-radius:8px;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;background:#fff;color:#0E63C4;\">\u30af\u30e9\u30b9\u306e\u4e88\u7d04\u3092\u3059\u308b<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>What is <span data-no-translation>Can&#8217;t<\/span>?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-no-translation>Can&#8217;t<\/span> is the negative form of <span data-no-translation>can<\/span>. It means &#8216;not able to do something&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><span data-no-translation>Can&#8217;t<\/span> is a short form of <span data-no-translation>cannot<\/span>. Both are correct, but <span data-no-translation>can&#8217;t<\/span> is more common in everyday speaking.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The structure is always: <span data-no-translation>Subject + can&#8217;t + base form of the verb<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li>Like <span data-no-translation>can<\/span>, the verb after <span data-no-translation>can&#8217;t<\/span> does not change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Ask Questions with <span data-no-translation>Can<\/span>?<\/h2>\n<p>To ask about someone&#8217;s ability, you put <span data-no-translation>Can<\/span> at the beginning of the question.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The structure is: <span data-no-translation>Can + subject + base form of the verb?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For short answers, you use <span data-no-translation>Yes, subject + can.<\/span> \u307e\u305f\u306f <span data-no-translation>No, subject + can&#8217;t.<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<caption>Forms of &lt;span data-no-translation&gt;Can&lt;\/span&gt; \u305d\u3057\u3066 &lt;span data-no-translation&gt;Can&#039;t&lt;\/span&gt;<\/caption>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Subject<\/th>\n<th>&lt;span data-no-translation&gt;Can&lt;\/span&gt; (Positive)<\/th>\n<th>&lt;span data-no-translation&gt;Can&#039;t&lt;\/span&gt; (Negative)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>I<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>I can speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>I can&#8217;t speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>You<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>You can speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>You can&#8217;t speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>He \/ She \/ It<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>He can speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>He can&#8217;t speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>We<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>We can speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>We can&#8217;t speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>They<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>They can speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>They can&#8217;t speak.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>\u4f8b<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>I can swim.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>She can speak French.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>We can play football.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>He can&#8217;t sing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>They can&#8217;t dance well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>Can you cook?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>Yes, I can.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>No, I can&#8217;t.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>Can a cat fly? No, it can&#8217;t.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u7df4\u7fd2<\/h2>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-381\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"381\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"JR07 L2 GRAMMAR Can you ... ?\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"lc-cta lc-cta-whatsapp\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding:30px;margin:30px 0;text-align:center;color:#fff;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#3DB16A,#1f8a4c);\"><h3 style=\"color:#fff;font-size:22px;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 8px;\">\ud83d\udcac \u500b\u5225\u306e\u30a2\u30c9\u30d0\u30a4\u30b9\u304c\u5fc5\u8981\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<\/h3><p style=\"margin:0 0 16px;opacity:.95;\">\u5f53\u6821\u306f\u30b1\u30f3\u30d6\u30ea\u30c3\u30b8\u8a66\u9a13\u306e\u516c\u8a8d\u6e96\u5099\u30bb\u30f3\u30bf\u30fc\u3068\u3057\u3066\u3001\u7686\u69d8\u306b\u6700\u9069\u306a\u30b3\u30fc\u30b9\u3084\u8cc7\u683c\u53d6\u5f97\u3078\u306e\u9053\u3092\u3054\u6848\u5185\u3044\u305f\u3057\u307e\u3059\u3002\u305c\u3072\u4eca\u3059\u3050\u30a2\u30c9\u30d0\u30a4\u30b6\u30fc\u306b\u3054\u76f8\u8ac7\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002.<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/51980473286\" style=\"display:inline-block;margin-top:8px;padding:13px 30px;border-radius:8px;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;background:#fff;color:#1f8a4c;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp\u3067\u30a2\u30c9\u30d0\u30a4\u30b6\u30fc\u3068\u30c1\u30e3\u30c3\u30c8<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>\u30b9\u30da\u30a4\u30f3\u8a9e\u8a71\u8005\u304c\u3088\u304f\u72af\u3059\u9593\u9055\u3044<\/h2>\n<p>Many Spanish speakers might say <span data-no-translation>I can to swim<\/span>. This is incorrect. In English, after <span data-no-translation>can<\/span>, you use the base form of the verb directly, without <span data-no-translation>to<\/span>. The correct form is <span data-no-translation>I can swim.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Another common mistake is changing <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> for different subjects, like <span data-no-translation>He cans swim<\/span>. Remember, <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> is a modal verb. It never changes. It is always <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> for all subjects: <span data-no-translation>I can, you can, he can, she can, it can, we can, they can.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>\u3088\u304f\u3042\u308b\u8cea\u554f<\/h2>\n<h3>What does &#8216;can&#8217; mean in English?<\/h3>\n<p><span data-no-translation>Can<\/span> means you have the ability or skill to do something. For example, <span data-no-translation>I can read.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Does &#8216;can&#8217; change for &#8216;he&#8217; or &#8216;she&#8217;?<\/h3>\n<p>No, <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> never changes. It is the same for all subjects: <span data-no-translation>I can, you can, he can, she can, it can, we can, they can.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>How do I make a negative sentence with &#8216;can&#8217;?<\/h3>\n<p>To make a negative sentence, you use <span data-no-translation>can&#8217;t<\/span> (or <span data-no-translation>cannot<\/span>). For example, <span data-no-translation>I can&#8217;t sing.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>\u95a2\u9023\u30ec\u30c3\u30b9\u30f3<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/?p=272761\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Can \/ can&#x27;t for ability<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/?p=272765\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Can \/ can&#x27;t for ability<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/?p=272767\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Can \/ can&#x27;t for ability<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/langcom.org\/?p=272774\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Can \/ can&#x27;t for ability<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can and can&#8217;t are essential English words to talk about abilities. You use can to say what you are able to do, like I can speak English. It means you have the skill or the possibility to do something. To express what you are not able to do, you use can&#8217;t, which is short for cannot. For example, I can&#8217;t fly. When you ask about someone&#8217;s ability, you start the question with Can, such as Can you swim? These words are very simple to use because they do not change form for different subjects. What is Can? Can is a modal verb. We use it to talk about ability. Ability [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":272930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bwfblock_default_font":"","langcom_teaches":"Can \/ can't for ability","langcom_cefr":"Pre-A1","langcom_type":"grammar","langcom_faq":"[{\"q\": \"What does 'can' mean in English?\", \"a\": \"<span data-no-translation>Can<\/span> means you have the ability or skill to do something. For example, <span data-no-translation>I can read.<\/span>\"}, {\"q\": \"Does 'can' change for 'he' or 'she'?\", \"a\": \"No, <span data-no-translation>can<\/span> never changes. It is the same for all subjects: <span data-no-translation>I can, you can, he can, she can, it can, we can, they can.<\/span>\"}, {\"q\": \"How do I make a negative sentence with 'can'?\", \"a\": \"To make a negative sentence, you use <span data-no-translation>can't<\/span> (or <span data-no-translation>cannot<\/span>). For example, <span data-no-translation>I can't sing.<\/span>\"}]","rank_math_title":"Can & Can't: Expressing Ability in English (Pre-A1)","rank_math_description":"Learn how to use 'can' and 'can't' in English to talk about what you can or cannot do. Simple explanations and examples for Pre-A1 learners.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"can can't ability","rank_math_canonical_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[607],"tags":[787,651],"formats":[],"class_list":["post-272796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pre-a1-beginner-english-for-kids","tag-can-you","tag-grammar"],"dsm_author":{"name":"\u30e9\u30a6\u30eb","avatar_url":"https:\/\/cdn.langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/05230819\/1de86ea706740d324aaef3dd8bf0843b.png","archive_link":"https:\/\/langcom.us\/ja\/author\/raulmaguinahamann\/","biodata":""},"dsm_categories":[{"term_name":"Pre A1 Beginner English for 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