Can with sense verb

There is no progressive tense in that sentence.

"We can see the park from our house" expresses ability. Very likely it expresses "stative ability", i.e. an ability that persists over time, not one that is localised to a particular moment.

Sir,

The modal verb 'can' is also used for 'possibility'.

The main uses of 'can' are:

1. To show ability

2. To show possibility (?)

3. Permission , offer, request

Could you please give an example of 'possibility'?

Thanks.

Such questions can lead to interesting discussions.

hanuman_2000.The main uses of 'can' are:1. To show ability2. To show possibility (?)3. Permission , offer, request

Remember that these are attempts to explain fairly briefly, how we use 'can'. In real life, we cannot neatly slot every use of that modal into one of these categories. There is often considerable overlap between ability and possibility.

Sir,

1.I can run fast. (ability)
2.Can you call back tomorrow? (possibility)
3.He couldn't answer the question. (ability)
4.The stadium can be emptied in four minutes. (possibility)
5.I can't promise anything

hanuman_2000I am not able to guess whether the given sentence expresses 'ability' or 'possibility'.

\given that there is overlap between ability and possibility, your guesses are reasonable enough.

We'd need a lot more context for each situation to be moderately confident about the exact idea the speaker was wishing to convey, and even then, we might

Sir,

1. She can speak Spanish. (ability--- speaking any language needs ability)
2. Can he cook? (ability------ cooking needs ability)


The 'could' is also used for 'possibility' for the present or future context.

Could you please give some example of 'could' used for 'possibility' in the present or future?

Thanks.

There's not a cloud in the sky. We could be in for a cold night.

Hello,

Could in the present only expresses weak possibility. Can expresses strong possibility:

1. I can travel in July because my exams will definitely be finished at the beginning of that month. (strong possibility)

2. I could travel in July because my exams will probably be finished at the beginning of that month. (wea

Here is what I know about using 'could' in past references.

Reported Speech:
- He said he could give it a try, but she was not convinced he could do it. (Since it is a reported speech, the actual event should already be in the past)

Perfect Infinivite:
- They could have told him, but they decided to keep quiet.

Not sure about other usage that may refer to the pas