1

Primer ao de Ingls
El verbo auxiliar can (poder) para expresar habilidad, posibilidad y permiso
stos son los aspectos ms importantes a recordar acerca del verbo auxiliar can:
1) La forma verbal es la misma para todas las personas.
Affirmative
I can sing. (Yo puedo cantar.)
You can dance. (T puedes / Usted puede bailar.)
He can drive. (l puede conducir un vehculo. [l: persona])
She can speak English. (Ella puede hablar ingls. [ella: persona])
It can swim. (l / Ella puede nadar. [l/ella: animal o cosa])
We can read Japanese. (Nosotros / Nosotras podemos leer japons.)
You can play the guitar. (Vosotros/Vosotras podis tocar la guitarra. / Ustedes pueden
tocar la guitarra.)
They can speak English. (Ellos / Ellas pueden hablar ingles. [ellos/ellas: personas,
animales o cosas])
2) La forma verbal negativa es cannot, escrita como una sola palabra. La contraccin,
utilizada en el habla coloquial, es can't.
Negative
Full forms
I cannot sing. (Yo no puedo cantar.)
You cannot dance. (T no puedes / Usted no puede bailar.)
He cannot drive. (l no puede conducir un vehculo. [l: persona])
She cannot speak English. (Ella no puede hablar ingls. [ella: persona])
It cannot swim. (l / Ella no puede nadar. [l/ella: animal o cosa])
We cannot read Japanese. (Nosotros / Nosotras no podemos leer japons.)
You cannot play the guitar. (Vosotros / Vosotras no podis tocar la guitarra. / Ustedes
no pueden tocar la guitarra.)
They cannot speak English. (Ellos / Ellas no pueden hablar ingls. [ellos/ellas:
personas, animales o cosas])
Short forms
I can't sing. (Yo no puedo cantar.)
You can't dance. (T no puedes / Usted no puede bailar.)
He can' drive. (l no puede conducir un vehculo. [l: persona])
She can't speak English. (Ella no puede hablar ingls. [ella: persona])
It can't swim. (l / Ella no puede nadar. [l/ella: animal o cosa])
We can't read Japanese. (Nosotros / Nosotras no podemos leer japons.)
You can't play the guitar. (Vosotros / Vosotras no podis tocar la guitarra. / Ustedes no
pueden tocar la guitarra.)
They cannot speak English. (Ellos / Ellas no pueden hablar ingls. [ellos/ellas:
personas, animales o cosas])

3) Las oraciones interrogativas se forman invirtiendo el orden de colocacin que el

verbo can y el sujeto tienen en la oracin afirmativa:
You can sing.

Can you sing?

Interrogative and short answers

A: Can I go to the toilet?
B: Yes, you can. / No, you can't.
A: Can you dance?
B: Yes, I can. / No, I can't.
A: Can he drive?
B: Yes, he can. / No, he can't.
A: Can she speak English?
B: Yes, she can. / No, she can't.
A: Can it swim?
B: Yes, it can. / No, it can't.
A+B: Can we read Japanese?
C: Yes, you can. / No, you can't.
A: Can you play the guitar?
B+C: Yes, we can. / No, we can't.
A: Can they speak English?
B: Yes, they can. / No, they can't.
Usos
1) El verbo can para expresar habilidad (can = saber / poder)
I can speak English very well but I cant speak Italian.
My teacher can play basketball very well but he cant play golf.
We can invent games but we cant invent computers!
2) Posibilidad
Its a nice day. We can play in the garden or we can go to the cinema.
We cant go out. Its very cold.

3
3) Permiso
Peter
Mum

Teacher
Student
Teacher

Sarah
Dad

Can I watch TV now?

No, you cant. You can watch TV after dinner.

You cant run in the corridor.

Can we run in the patio?
Yes, you can.

Can Susan come home tomorrow?

Yes, she can.

Exercises
1) Orden las palabras y escrib el dilogo.
play / football / can
I / no / cant
you / can / basketball / play
no / cant / I
you / can / what / do
sing / I / play / can /and / guitar / the

Max
Tom
Max
Tom
Max
Tom

Can you play football?

_______________________________
_______________________________?
_______________________________
______________________________?
________________________________

2) Le las preguntas y determin si corresponden a habilidad (A: ability) o permiso

(P: permission).
a) Can you play basketball?

__________

b) Can we go to the park now?

__________

c) Can I clean the board, Miss Julie?

____________

d) Can you speak Italian?

____________

e) Can we go to the toilet, please?

_____________

4
3) Observ el cuadro y adivin a quin se refiere cada descripcin.
PLAY
TENNIS

DANCE

SWIM

SING

PLAY
THE
GUITAR

PLAY
FOOTBALL

..
..

Matt

.
.

Lisa
Jennifer

SPEAK
PORTUGUESE

.
.

Tom

..
..

.
.
.
.

a) I can dance, but I cant sing. I cant swim, but I can speak Portuguese.
Who am I? Jenniffer __
b) I can dance and sing, but I cant play tennis. I can play football, but I cant play
the guitar. Who am I? __________________
c) I can play football and tennis, but I cant swim. I can speak Portuguese, dance
and sing. Who am I? ___________________
d) I can play the guitar and sing. I can play tennis, But I cant play football. I cant
dance or swim. Who am I? _____________________
Bibliografa
BBC English, 1986, Salvat, Barcelona
Casuscelli, Lina, Mara Jos Gandini, 2010, Click into English! 1, Ciudad
Autnoma de Buenos Aires: Tinta Fresca, Pearson Education., .