Can

From Fresh Dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Pronunciation 1.2 Etymology 1 1.2.1 Verb 1.2.1.1 Usage note 1.2.1.2 Synonyms 1.2.1.3 Antonyms 1.2.1.4 Translations 1.3 Etymology2 1.3.1 Noun 1.3.1.1 Synonyms 1.3.1.2 Translations 1.3.2 Verb 1.3.2.1 Translations 2 Brithenig 2.1 Noun 2.2 Noun 3 Interlingua 3.1 Noun 4 Irish 4.1 Pronunciation 4.2 Verb 4.2.1 Conjugation 5 Italian 5.1 Noun 6 Turkish 6.1 Etymology 6.2 Noun

English

Pronunciation

• AHD: kăn
• IPA: /kæn/ (also Etymology 1 unstressed IPA: /kən/)
• SAMPA: /k{n/
• Image:Loudspeaker.png Audio (US)^{?, file}

Etymology 1

Old English cunnan ‘to know (how)’.

Verb

Infinitive -

Third person singular can

Simple past could

Past participle -

Present participle -

1. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) [Used to indicate ability to do something] To be able to

   She can speak English, French, and German.

   I can play football.

   Can you remember your fifth birthday?

2. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) (colloquial) [Used to indicate that something is allowed or permitted] May

   You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.

   Can I use your pen?

   • Usage note: Some authorities consider this use incorrect, and recommend using may only.

Usage note

For missing tenses, 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". It is unclear why.)

The present tense negative can not is often contracted to cannot or can't.

The use of can in asking permission is often considered impolite or incorrect.

Synonyms

• be able to (1)
• may (2)

Antonyms

• cannot
• can't

Translations

Albanian: mund Arabic: قدر (qádira) Catalan: poder Chinese: 会 (hui), 能 (néng), 可以 (kěyǐ), 能够 (nénggòu) Croatian: moći Dutch: kunnen Esperanto: povi (1), rajti (2) Estonian: osata (1), võima (2) Finnish: osata (1), voida (2) French: pouvoir German: können (1,2) Greek: μπορώ (boró) Hungarian: tud Ido: povas Indonesian: dapat, mampu, bisa Italian: potere, sapere, riuscire a

Japanese: できる (dekíru), れる (reru), られる (rareru) Korean: ...할 수 있다 (...hal su itta) Kurdish: kanîn, karîn, şên, şiyan, tiwanîn Latin: posse Old English: cunnan (1) Portuguese: poder Russian: мочь / смочь (moč’ / smoč’) ^ (1-2), уметь (umét’) (1) Spanish: poder Swedish: kunna (1,2) Thai: (dai) Turkish: -bil- (verbal infix) Ukrainian: могти (mókhti)

Etymology2

Middle English < Old English canne (glass, container, cup).

Noun

Singular can

Plural cans

1. a more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium.
2. a container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
3. a tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish.
4. (US, euphemism) toilet, bathroom.

Synonyms

• tin (British & Australian at least)

Translations

Arabic: صفيحة (ʂafí:ħa) f. Chinese: 罐頭 (guàntóu) Dutch: kan f. (1), blik n. (2), conservenblik n. (3), toilet n. (4) Esperanto: ladskatolo (1) Finnish: kannu, purkki, säilyketölkki French: bidon m. (1), boîte de conserves f. (3) German: Dose f. (1,3), Gießkanne f. (2) Ido: buxeto metala

Indonesian: kaleng (1,2) Italian: lattina f. Japanese: 缶 (かん, kan) (1,2) Korean: 깡통 (kkangtong) Portuguese: lata f. Russian: бидон (bidón) m. (1), банка (bánka) f. (3) Spanish: lata f. Swedish: burk c. (1), vattenkanna c. (2), kanna c. (2), konservburk c. (3), konserv c. (3)

Verb

Infinitive to can

Third person singular cans

Simple past canned

Past participle canned

Present participle canning

1. to preserve, by heating and sealing in a can or jar

   They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.

2. to discard or scrap (an idea, project, etc.)

   He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.

3. To shut up

   Can your gob.

4. (euphemistic) to fire or terminate an employee

   The boss canned him for speaking out.

Translations

Dutch: inblikken (1), conserveren (1), afvoeren (2), ontslaan (3) Esperanto: enladigi (1) Finnish: purkittaa German: einmachen (1), abbrechen (2), die Klappe halten (3), kündigen (4)

Russian: консервировать (konservírovat’) (1) Spanish: enlatar (1), descartar (2), cerrar (3), echar (4) Swedish: konservera (1), lägga in (1), stäng igen (3), knip igen (3), sparka (4), kicka (4)

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Brithenig

Noun

can f.

1. reed

Noun

can m.

1. dog

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Interlingua

Noun

can

1. dog
2. cock, hammer (of a firearm)

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Irish

Pronunciation

IPA: [kan]

Verb

can (v.n. canadh)

1. to sing

Conjugation

First conjugation; nonstandard forms in italics

• Present indicative

Person	Analytic form	Synthetic form
1sg.	—	canaim
2sg.	canann tú	canair
3sg.	canann sé/sí/etc.	—
1pl.	canann muid	canaimid
2pl.	canann sibh	cantaí
3pl.	canann siad	canaid
Aut.	—	cantar
Rel.	—	canas

• Imperfect indicative

Person	Analytic form	Synthetic form
1sg.	—	(do) chanainn
2sg.	—	(do) chantá
3sg.	(do) chanadh sé/sí/etc.	—
1pl.	(do) chanadh muid	(do) chanaimis
2pl.	(do) chanadh sibh	—
3pl.	(do) chanadh siad	(do) chanaidís
Aut.	—	(do) chantaí

• Past indicative

Person	Analytic form	Synthetic form
1sg.	(do) chan mé	(do) chanas
2sg.	(do) chan tú	(do) chanais
3sg.	(do) chan sé/sí/etc.	—
1pl.	(do) chan muid	(do) chanamar
2pl.	(do) chan sibh	(do) chanabhar
3pl.	(do) chan siad	(do) chanadar
Aut.	—	canadh

• Future

Person	Analytic form	Synthetic form
1sg.	canfaidh mé	canfad
2sg.	canfaidh tú	canfair
3sg.	canfaidh sé/sí/etc.	—
1pl.	canfaidh muid	canfaimid
2pl.	canfaidh sibh	canfaithí
3pl.	canfaidh siad	canfaid
Aut.	—	canfar
Rel.	—	canfas

• Conditional

Person	Analytic form	Synthetic form
1sg.	—	(do) chanfainn
2sg.	—	(do) chanfá
3sg.	(do) chanfadh sé/sí/etc.	—
1pl.	(do) chanfadh muid	(do) chanfaimis
2pl.	(do) chanfadh sibh	—
3pl.	(do) chanfaidh siad	(do) chanfaidís
Aut.	—	(do) chanfaí

• Present subjunctive

Person	Analytic form	Synthetic form
1sg.	cana mé (older spelling canaidh mé)	canad
2sg.	cana tú (older spelling canaidh tú)	canair
3sg.	cana sé/sí/etc. (older spelling canaidh sé/sí/etc.)	—
1pl.	cana muid (older spelling canaidh muid)	canaimid
2pl.	cana sibh (older spelling canaidh sibh)	cantaí
3pl.	cana siad (older spelling canaidh siad)	canaid
Aut.	—	cantar

• Past subjunctive

Person	Analytic form	Synthetic form
1sg.	—	canainn
2sg.	—	cantá
3sg.	canadh sé/sí/etc.	—
1pl.	canadh muid	canaimis
2pl.	canadh sibh	—
3pl.	canadh siad	canaidís
Aut.	—	cantaí

• Imperative

Person	Singular	Plural
First	—	canaimis archaic also canam
Second	can	canaigí archaic canaidh
Third	canadh sé/sí/etc.	canaidís
Autonomous	cantar

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Italian

Noun

can m. (plural: cani)

1. (poetic and literary form of cane) dog

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Turkish

Etymology

From Persian

Noun

can (plural: canlar)

1. soul, lifede:can

es:can fr:can gl:can it:can ku:can hu:can ja:can no:can pl:can pt:can ro:can sr:can fi:can uk:can zh:can