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MRANALYZE Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

do you think you could

Hi

what's the difference between these sentences

- do you think you could do it?

- do you think you can do it?
  

Top answer

" But there's nothing conditional about the second one. We don't care how you do it. Can you?

— Avangi

  • " But there's nothing conditional about the second one.
  • We don't care how you do it.
  • Can you?
  • Yes, or No?
  • If you look at it as a "polite request," the first one is more polite, because it gives the person asked more wiggle room, or more opportunity to make excuses why he can't help you.
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4 Answers
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With the first one there's an implied "if." For example, "Do you think you could do it if you had the right tools?" But there's nothing conditional about the second one. We don't care how you do it. Can you? Yes, or No?

If you look at it as a "polite request," the first one is more polite, because it gives the person asked more wiggle room, or more opportunity to make excuses why he
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there is no much difference in meaning though....is it just a matter of how you want sound when using it?
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I meant.....you want to sound
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It's not my wish to downplay the technical differences between "can" and "could." Members with an ESL background are much better versed than I in conditionals.

Can / could you lift that box? You have to analyze it from two different perspectives. (1) the polite request - In this case, we're concerned about how it sounds, as you have said. We're asking someone
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