could - English-Spanish Dictionary

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can could

Pocket Oxford Spanish Dictionary © 2005 Oxford University Press:

can1 /kæn/ sustantivo

(container) lata f, bote m (Esp), tarro m (Chi);
(before n) ~ opener abrelatas m

(for petrol, water) bidón m;
(for garbage) (AmE) cubo m or (CS) tacho m or (Col) caneca f, bote m (Méx), tobo m de la basura (Ven)

can2 verbo transitivo -nn- (put in cans) enlatar;
(bottle) (AmE) ‹fruit› preparar conservas de

can3 /kæn/ , weak form /kən/ v modNote:
When can means to be capable of or to be allowed to, it is translated by poder: he can't eat no puede comer;
can you come out tonight? ¿puedes salir esta noche? When can means to know how to, it is translated by saber: can you swim? ¿sabes nadar?;
she can already read and write ya sabe leer y escribir.When can is used with a verb of perception such as see, hear, or feel, it is often not translated: can you see her from here? ¿la ves desde aquí?;
she couldn't feel anything no sentía nada. (past could)

(indicating ability) poder^(conj.⇒);
(referring to particular skills) saber^(conj.⇒);
she couldn't answer the question no pudo contestar la pregunta;
~ you swim? ¿sabes nadar?

1. (with verbs of perception): I ~'t see very well no veo muy bien;
  ~ you hear me? ¿me oyes?
1. (with verbs of mental activity): I ~'t understand it no lo entiendo;
  ~'t you tell he's lying? ¿no te das cuenta de que está mintiendo?

1. (indicating, asking etc permission) poder^(conj.⇒);
  ~ I come with you? ¿puedo ir contigo?
1. (in requests) poder^(conj.⇒);
  ~ you turn that music down, please? ¿puedes bajar esa música, por favor?
1. (in offers): ~ I help you? ¿me permite?;
  (in shop) ¿lo/la atienden?, ¿qué desea?;
  ~ I carry that for you? ¿quieres que (te) lleve eso?
1. (in suggestions, advice): ~'t you give it another try? ¿por qué no lo vuelves a intentar?

(indicating possibility) poder^(conj.⇒);
it ~'t be true! ¡no puede ser!, ¡no es posible!

could /kʊd/ v mod

past of can3

(indicating possibility) poder^(conj.⇒);
I would help you if I ~ te ayudaría si pudiera;
you ~ have killed us all! ¡podrías or podías habernos matado a todos!;
you ~ be right puede (ser) que tengas razón

1. (asking permission): ~ I use your bathroom? ¿podría or me permitiría pasar al baño?
1. (in requests): ~ you sign here please? ¿quiere firmar aquí, por favor?

1. (in suggestions) poder^(conj.⇒);
  you ~ try doing it this way podrías tratar de hacerlo de esta manera
1. (indicating strong desire) poder^(conj.⇒);
  I ~ have killed her la hubiera matado, la podría or podía haber matado

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could [kʊd] verbo auxiliar ➙ can1

Compound Forms:
can be reduced			puede ser reducido
can be shown in a form			puede ser mostrado en una forma
can be spotted			se puede ver
can be spotted			se ve
can bet on it			puedes estar seguro de esto
can bet on it			¡seguro!
can opener	n	(device for opening tins)	abrelatas nm
			abridor de latas nm
can-opener	n		abrelatas nm
can't be avoided			que no se puede evitar
can't be avoided			inevitable
can't be helped			no hay remedio
can't be in all places at one time	v	informal (have too many obligations to fulfil) fam	no poder hacer mil cosas a la vez loc verb
		fam	no poder estar en todo loc verb
Ahora imposible, surgió un problema serio que tengo que solucionar, dile a Carlos que se ocupe de los pedidos, yo no puedo estar en todo.
		fam	ser imposible estar en dos sitios a la vez loc verb
			no poder hacerlo todo uno solo loc verb
Ya quisieras investigar, redactar, ilustrar, diseñar, imprimir y encuadernar, pero no puedes hacerlo todo tú solo.
		fam	no poder estar en la procesión y repicando loc verb
can't stand		(dislikes strongly)	no aguanta
can't stand			no soporta
can't stand sb	v	(find sb intolerable)	no poder ni ver a alguien loc verb
I can't stand my overbearing, demanding boss.
			no poder soportarlo loc verb
Cuando Luis se pone así de pesado no le puedo soportar
		México	no aguantarlo vtr + adv
Me cae tan mal que no lo aguanto.
			no tragarlo vtr + adv
No lo trago ni en pintura.
			no pasarlo / no tolerarlo vtr + adv
No lo paso ni en pintura!
		Argentina fam	no bancar vtr + adv
can’t	contr	(cannot)	no poder v
do all you can			haz todo lo que puedas v
do everything you can			hacer todo lo posible v
do the best you can			hacer lo mejor que se pueda v
do what you can	vi	(do everything possible)	hacer todo lo posible loc verb
			hacer todo lo que se pueda loc verb
			hacer lo que buenamente puedas loc verb
Haz lo que buenamente puedas, nadie puede exigirte más.
fruit can			fruta en conserva nf
garbage can	n	US (rubbish bin, receptacle for waste) México	bote de la basura nm
Don't leave your trash on the floor. Throw it in the garbage can!
A garbage can is large, often put on the street for garbage collection.
		Chile	tarro de la basura nm
		España	cubo de basura nm
		Argentina	tacho de (la) basura nm
I can			puedo
jerry can			garrafa (para gasolina) nf
milk can			lata de leche nf
oil can			lata de aceite nf
see what can be done			mira qué puede hacerse v
spray can	n		bote de spray nm
spray can	n		spray nm
tin can			tarro nm
tin can			lata nm
trash can			bote
trash can			cubo
watering can			regadera nf
what can be done			lo que se puede hacer
what can be seen			lo que se ve
what you can do			lo que puedes hacer
which can be converted			que se puede convertir…
you can say that again			ya lo creo

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Compound Forms:
could you please...?		(politely requesting sb to do sth)	¿Sería tan amable de ...? fr hecha
Could you please tell me where the bathroom is?
			¿podría por favor...? fr hecha
			¿podría...? expr
could’ve	contr	(contraction of could have)	podría haber
could’ve	contr		pudo haber
what could be			lo que podría ser

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Forum discussions with the word(s) "could" in the title:

A balcony you could do Shakespeare from!
a letter could be written
A nice map. Any chance I could hang on to it?
a person that is sick could die
A thief could have... - grammar
About 99% of adult Americans reported in the 1980 census that they could read
about as near as one could get
After graduating, it could be...
against the self that she could not face...
all had been done that could be done
all he could ever want
All of these tragedies could have been easily avoided
all she could do not to
all that you could ask for
All the still-born love that could've happened
All the still-born love that could've happened...
although ... that could
although it could seem amazing
although the debate about when it could no longer be reversed is still important.
an argument could be made for deployment through the State
and could... care about you this much?
and if it faced east, why, that could not be helped
any man could fault therefrom elicit
any way he could get her
Anyone charged... could be held virtually incommunicado
anyone could give have given me
anyone could trust
anyone could trust
Anything could happen...
anything London had, Liverpool could beat
more...

'could' also found in these entries:

English:

any - anybody - Armageddon - background - bang - barely - barring - blast - blunder - blurt out - board - boil over - bored - burning - burr - can - care - clear - con - corroborate - deteriorate - dig around - direct - discern - do with - ear - echo - erratic - fail - feather - fetch in - for - frizzy - good - grade - groan - grunt - gullible - hand - hand up - head - horse - if - lighthouse - little - maximum - meaning - mold - mould - move over

Spanish:

abismo - abreviar - acallar - balbucear - buenamente - desalmada - desalmado - divisar - economía - encaminarse - estimativa - estimativo - excedente - favor - gorgotear - grabar - guión - habla - hincharse - inflarse - lloro - mamarracho - manifestarse - menos - murmullo - nerviosismo - ocurrirse - palpar - parihuelas - peregrinación - peregrinaje - pescuezo - poder - risa - si - tiempo - tonta - tonto - trampolín - variar - ver - vislumbrar - alargar - alcanzar - alzar - anticipar - aparte - apenas - burrada - caber

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