情态动词 could

什么是情态动词 could？

情态动词 could 是一种情态动词，因为它必须始终与另一个具有独立意义的动词连用，且该动词以不定式形式出现（无 to）。 Could 是 can 的过去式或条件式，意为“能够”或“会”。通常用于英语第二条件句。该情态动词的否定形式是 couldn’t，含义和用法与 could 相同。如果你想知道它的构成方式，请继续往下阅读。

例子：

I could play the piano when I was five. （我五岁时能弹钢琴。）
My sister could ride her bike before she was seven. （我妹妹七岁前就会骑自行车。）

could 和 couldn’t 的用法

情态动词 could 有多种功能。下面我们将为你解释该英语情态动词的一些用法。

此外，我们将提供多个例子，帮助你理解不同用法。

1. 过去的能力

当你想谈论过去的能力，即你曾经会做或能做某事时，使用 could。

例子：

I could swim when I was ten. （我十岁时会游泳。）
Could you play the piano when you were at school? （你上学时会弹钢琴吗？）

2. 礼貌地请求许可

如果你想礼貌或正式地请求许可，也使用 could。

如前所述，提问时需要将主语和动词位置互换。在此情况下，could 翻译为条件式 “您能否…” 。

例子：

Could you open the window, please? (请您把窗户打开好吗？)
Could you lend me the book please? (请您把书借给我好吗？)
Could I have some water, please? (请问我可以喝点水吗？)

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could 在肯定句、否定句和疑问句中的结构

既然你已经知道情态动词 could, 你可以学习它的变形。你会看到它非常简单：

肯定句中的 could

构造肯定句时，首先放主语，接着是情态动词 could，然后是不带 to 的动词原形。

主语 + could + 不带 to 的动词原形

例子：

I could sing. （我能唱歌）。
She could ride a horse. （她能骑马）。

否定句中的 could（Couldn’t）

构造否定句时，只需在情态动词 could 后加否定词 not 。你也可以使用 缩写形式 couldn’t。

主语 + could not 或 couldn’t + 不带 to 的动词原形

例子：

I could not / couldn’t sing. （我不能唱歌）。
She couldn’t ride a horse.（她不会骑马）。

疑问句形式

当我们想提出一个问题时，需将主语和动词次序对调。

Could + 主语 + 不带 to 的动词原形

例子：

Could you sing when you were three? （你三岁时能唱歌吗？）
Could you play the piano when you were a child? （你小时候会弹钢琴吗？）

肯定句	否定句	疑问句
I could	I could not / couldn’t	Could I do?
You could	You could not / couldn’t	Could you do?
He could	He could not / couldn’t	Could he do?
She could	She could not / couldn’t	Could she do?
It could	It could not / couldn’t	Could it do?
We could	We could not / couldn’t	Could we do?
You could	You could not / couldn’t	Could you do?
They could	They could not / couldn’t	Could they do?

含有 could 和 couldn’t 的句子

I couldn’t say yes. （我不能说“是”）。
He could have been a great lawyer. （他本来可以成为一名优秀的律师）。
We could do it, if we wanted to. （如果想的话，我们可以做到）。
She couldn’t buy the car yesterday because her card din’t work. （她昨天没能买车，因为卡没起作用）。
The heating could not be repaired. （暖气修不好）。
Could you swim when you were 2 years old? （你两岁时会游泳吗？）。

could 和 was / were able to 的区别

区分 情态动词 could 与短语 was/were able to:

could 用于描述过去的普遍能力，相反，使用 was/were able to 指特定过去事件。
否定形式在所有情况下都用 couldn’t 。

示例：

After all, they were able to help us with the homework. （毕竟，他们帮我们做了作业）。
They were able to escape from the fire. （他们成功逃离火灾）。

点击以下链接，了解 could 与 may、might 及 can 的区别。

情态动词 could 练习

could 和 couldn’t 练习

A. 将下列句子写成缺失的两种形式（肯定、否定或疑问）。

His brother could run very fast.
Her father could cook well.
David couldn’t drive his car.
Your sister couldn’t concentrate at school.
Could her mother drive when she was 18?
Peter couldn’t speak English with his American friends.

B. 用 could 或 couldn’t 填空：

Kate always had good coordination. She ______ dance very well when she was a child. (凯特一直协调性很好。她小时候能跳舞很棒。)
______ you introduce him to your sisters? (你能把他介绍给你姐妹们吗？)
You ______ take your dog out for a walk. (你能带你的狗去散步。)
Fifty years ago, people _______ use a computer. (五十年前，人们不会使用电脑。)
I don’t know how to do this. ______ you help me please? (我不知道怎么做这个。你能帮我吗？)
Be careful!. It ______ be dangerous. (小心！这可能很危险。)
______ you stop doing that? It ‘s annoying! (你能停止那样做吗？太烦人了！)
Richard y Alberto ________ juggle when they were teenagers. (理查德和阿尔贝托青少年时会玩杂耍。)
Alison _________ do a headstand when she was one year old. (艾莉森一岁时不会倒立。)
_______ you please tell me where’s the nearest stationer? (请告诉我最近的文具店在哪里？)
He _______ cross the finish line. It was a pity! (他没能冲过终点线，真遗憾！)
_________ you fax this document to the Head Office? (你能给总公司传真这份文件吗？)

could 用法练习

C. 判断下列句子的功能：能力还是许可？

1. Could you swim when you were a child?
2. Could you pass me the salt, please?
3. Could he read well when he was at primary school?

could 与 was/were able to 实践练习

D. 选择正确的选项。

The car fell into the river, although the police _________ get it out. (were able to / could).
We had no keys, so we ______ open the door. (couldn’t / wasn’t able to).
A boy fell into the sea but luckily we ______ help him. (was able to / could / were able to).
_________________ ski when you were 10? (could you / were you able to).
We _________________ get to the meeting on time yesterday because there was a traffic jam. (couldn’t / weren’t able to).
It’s amazing, he _________________ speak 5 languages at the age of 12. (could / weren’t able to).
I ________________ to maneuver to avoid the accident. (was able to / could).

练习答案

A 答案

His brother couldn’t run very fast. Could his brother run very fast?
Her father couldn’t cook well. Could her father cook well?
David could drive his car Could David drive his car? Your sister could concentrate at school. Could your sister concentrate at school?
Her mother could drive when she was 18. Her mother couldn’t drive when she was 18.
Peter could speak English with his American friends. Could Peter speak English with his American friends?