Modals (could) - (For Spanish and English learners)

Question

Do you know how to use Modals in English? Then you'll be able to do so in Spanish.

Could has the following forms:

• could and could not (couldn't).

Could is translated into Spanish using pretérito indefinido or pretérito imperfecto (past tenses):

• He couldn't come. - No pudo venir.
• She could speak French - Sabía hablar francés.

but could, often, shows aspects that have nothing to do with the past tense; then, it should be translated to Spanish using conditional or imperfect subjunctive, depending on the circumstances.

• Could you do me a favour? - ¿Podrías hacerme un favor? (conditional)
• I'd buy it, if I could. - Lo compraría, si pudiera. (imperfect subjunctive)

Main usages of could:
1. Be able to do something (in the past).

• He tried but he couldn't open the safe. - Lo intentó pero no pudo abrir la caja fuerte.

2. To know how to do something (in the past).

• Fatima could speak English very well. - Fatima sabía hablar inglés muy bien.

3. Polite requests. (Peticiones corteses)

• Could you help me (to) cut the grass?. - ¿Podrías ayudarme a cortar el césped?

Could is more polite than can the same as in Spanish podrías is more polite than puedes.

4. Indirect speech; equivalent to can in direct speech.

• "I can finish it in a couple of days", he said. - "Puedo terminarlo en un par de días", dijo. (direct speech).
• He said he could finish it in a couple of days. - Dijo que podría terminarlo en un par de días. (indirect speech).

Other usages of could:
1. Permission (more colloquial than may).

• Mum, could I go and play in the garden? - Mamá, ¿podría ir a jugar al jardín?

There is the same difference between podría and puedo in Spanish as between can and could when it comes to asking permission (politeness).

2. Possibility (practically with the same meaning as might, which is more common for this usage)

• The road could be blocked. - La carretera podría estar cortada

note: The sentence The road could be blocked is ambiguous; meaning:

• La carretera podría estar cortada. (It has been blocked already).
• La carretera podría cortarse/ser cortada. (It could happen in the future).

I thought this could be useful for both English and Spanish learners.
- If you want, post a sentence in English using the modal could and its Spanish translation identifying the usage (request, permission, possibility,...).
- Enclose a picture to reinforce the meaning (or just for fun) if you want.

Nice :) - ian-hill, Sep 19, 2013

Answer 1

Indirect speech:
Ian said that I could improve my "lesson" by not calling "verbs" to Modals.
Ian ha dicho que (yo) podría mejorar mi "lección" no llamando "verbos" a los "modales".

A very good chart amigo. :) - ian-hill, Sep 19, 2013

Answer 2

Hola amigo

Maybe you can mention how a Modal is put into the past.

It is very straight forward.

Example.

I could do it. - I could have done it.

I would do it - I would have done it.

Most Modals can be put into the past (some are never in the past) by putting "have" after it and by using the past participle of the verb.

as above "do" becomes "have done".

Another important thing to remember is that the verb that follows a Modal is always a "base verb" = infintive without the "to".