LIFE009 · Can / Can’t: Talking About Skills and Ability

💪 Can / Can’t: Skills at Work

Level: A2  |  Time: 5 min  |  Focus: Modal verb can — ability

📖 From Sourov’s world: In hospitality, your skills are your salary. I could make twelve types of coffee. I could recommend a wine blind. I could serve twenty tables at once without a single error. None of that came from a certificate. It came from thousands of hours of practice. “Can” is a word that earns respect.

🔑 Can for Ability

+	−	?
I can speak French.	I can’t drive.	Can you cook?
She can play guitar.	He can’t swim.	Can they speak Japanese?

⚠️ can never changes: “She can” NOT “She cans”. No -s. Ever.

⚠️ can + bare infinitive: “I can speak” NOT “I can to speak“.

🗣️ Pronunciation

can (positive) = weak: /kən/  →  “I kən cook.”
can’t (negative) = strong: /kɑːnt/ or /kænt/  →  “I KAHN’T drive.”
💡 The stress is your signal — if the word is stressed, it’s probably negative.

✏️ Quick Activity

Write 5 things you can do and 2 things you can’t do (be honest!):

I can _______, _______, _______, _______, _______.
I can’t _______, _______.

👀 Check your form

Each gap should be a bare infinitive (a verb without “to”). “I can cook.” ✓   “I can to cook.” ✗

⭐ Takeaway: “Can” is the most useful word for a job interview. “I can manage a team.” “I can speak three languages.” Practice saying your real skills out loud — in English.