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Emily_ Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

can have seen

Hi,

You can´t have seen the Jacobs yesterday - they´re in Australia.

Why there is present form of the word "can"? Thanks for your reply.

Emily
  

Top answer

The speaker is relating the statement to the present utterance of the listener ( 'I saw them yesterday' ). In spoken English, this is fine and common; in written English, the writer would probably reconsider and change it to couldn't . It is an odd formation, really, isn't it?

— Mister Micawber

  • The speaker is relating the statement to the present utterance of the listener ( 'I saw them yesterday' ).
  • In spoken English, this is fine and common; in written English, the writer would probably reconsider and change it to couldn't .
  • It is an odd formation, really, isn't it?
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2 Answers
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The speaker is relating the statement to the present utterance of the listener ('I saw them yesterday'). In spoken English, this is fine and common; in written English, the writer would probably reconsider and change it to couldn't. It is an odd formation, really, isn't it?
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It is. And according to what you wrote even more because this sentence is included in the entrance university exam.
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