Practice
Can and may: ability, permission, and possibility
Sign in to saveAt a museum entrance, Can I take a photo? asks for permission. A sign that says Visitors may take photos gives it. The two modals are close, yet the speaker's purpose changes the usual choice.
Choose can or may by deciding whether the sentence describes ability, permission, or an uncertain possibility.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Can I leave my coat here? /kən aɪ liːv maɪ kəʊt hɪə/
The short answer
Use can for ability and ordinary permission. Use may for an uncertain possibility and for permission in a formal or careful setting.
Leena can repair the bike, but the shop may close early.
Why it works: Can describes Leena's ability. May describes a possible event.
5 more examples
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Daria can carry the folder upstairs.
Can says that Daria has the ability or physical capacity to carry it.
Not this:Daria
may carrythe folder upstairs. What changes: May changes the message to a possible future action. It does not describe Daria's ability. -
The ferry may leave later because of the fog.
The later departure is possible, but it is not certain.
Not this:The ferry
can leavelater because of the fog. What changes: Can is possible when the timetable allows a later departure. May better expresses uncertainty about this departure. -
Can I plug in my laptop here?
This is an everyday request for permission.
Not this:
May I plug inmy laptop here? What changes: The request has the same purpose, but may sounds more formal or careful. -
Participants may collect their certificates after lunch.
May gives permission in the style of an announcement or rule.
Not this:Participants
can collecttheir certificates after lunch. What changes: Can is natural in speech. May gives the announcement a more formal tone. -
Long walks can make my knees sore.
Can describes something that happens in some situations, not one predicted event.
Not this:The long walk
may makemy knees sore. What changes: May refers to the possible effect of one particular walk.
Read the full guide
Ask what the modal means before you choose a word. Can answers questions about somebody's skill or what people are normally allowed to do. May points to a possible result, or it marks permission in a formal context. Both come before the base form of the next verb.
Decide what the sentence means
Can and may do not refer to one single idea. Start with the situation. Is somebody able to do something? Is an action allowed? Or is a future event possible? The answer usually points to the right modal.
Mika can draw a clear plan, but the weather may change before the trip.
Can describes Mika's skill. May says that a change in the weather is possible, without saying that it will happen.
Use can for ability
Choose can when you mean that a person has a skill, knowledge, or physical ability. It works for a present ability and for an ability that is generally true. May does not normally carry this meaning.
I can follow the instructions without a translation.
The sentence says that the speaker has enough understanding to do this. I may follow the instructions would mean that following them is only a possible future action.
Which word completes this sentence about a skill: Farah ___ use the new printer?
Use can: Farah can use the new printer.
Use may for an uncertain event
May is useful when one event or result is possible but uncertain. You are leaving room for more than one outcome. It often appears with future plans, predictions, and explanations.
The technician may need another hour to finish the repair.
The extra hour is possible, but the speaker does not know whether it will be needed.
This route can be busy after work.
Can describes a general possibility. It says that busy traffic is a known feature of this route at that time.
Ask for permission in conversation
Can I...? is a normal way to ask for permission in everyday English. It is suitable when you speak to a colleague, a shop assistant, or a teacher in an ordinary situation. May I...? asks for the same permission with a more formal or careful tone.
Can I move this chair closer to the table?
The speaker asks whether moving the chair is allowed. The question is direct and polite in ordinary conversation.
Choose a formal request to begin a question during a meeting.
You can say: May I add one point?
Read permission rules with care
Written rules often use may to state what people are allowed to do. Staff may use the side entrance means that this entrance is permitted. In a formal rule, may not can state a prohibition, so read the whole sentence before acting.
Library users may borrow six books at one time.
This rule grants permission. It does not describe a person's ability to borrow books.
Visitors may not touch the display cases.
In this rule, may not means that touching the cases is not allowed.
Keep the verb form simple
After can or may, use the base form of the verb. Say can join, may arrive, can be, and may have. Do not add to, an ending such as -s, or a second auxiliary after the modal.
The guests may arrive after the meal.
Arrive is the base form after may. May arrives and may to arrive are not standard forms.
How do you complete this sentence: We can ___ at the station?
Use the base verb: We can meet at the station.
Before you go
Remember this
Use can for ability, ordinary permission, and general possibility. Use may for an uncertain event and for formal permission. Read the rest of the sentence to decide whether it is about a skill, an allowed action, or a possible result.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Can and may: ability, permission, and possibility"
What is the difference between can and may?
Can usually expresses ability or ordinary permission. May usually expresses an uncertain possibility, and it can give or request permission in a more formal setting. The rest of the sentence shows which meaning is intended.
Daria can carry the folder upstairs.
Can I use can to ask for permission?
Yes. Can I...? is a normal request for permission in everyday English. Use it when you want to ask whether an action is allowed. May I...? has the same basic purpose and sounds more formal or careful.
Daria may carry the folder upstairs.
When should I use may for possibility?
Use may when one event or result is possible but you do not know whether it will happen. It often suits a prediction, a plan, or an explanation with an uncertain outcome. It does not normally describe somebody's skill.
The ferry may leave later because of the fog.
Does can ever express possibility?
Yes. Can often describes general possibility, such as a result that happens in some situations. May is usually clearer when you mean one uncertain event. The distinction depends on whether you mean a general fact or a particular possibility.
The ferry can leave later because of the fog.
What does may not mean in a rule?
In a formal rule, may not usually means that an action is forbidden. The same words can express uncertainty in another context, so read the sentence around them. In everyday speech, can't often makes a prohibition clearer.
Can I plug in my laptop here?