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Soprano Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

I could meet a lot of friends

Hello, can you please help me?

Someone wrote: "I could meet new friends".

She wanted to say she had the chance to meet new friends. Any other idea?

Thank you
  

Top answer

This is not exactly clear. When you backshift the reported "thought," we lose the significance of the tense. Do you mean something like, "I would like to join the club.

— Avangi

  • This is not exactly clear.
  • When you backshift the reported "thought," we lose the significance of the tense.
  • Do you mean something like, "I would like to join the club.
  • " You're telling us what she wanted to say.
  • Are you now asking us to suggest other interpretations of the statement you quoted her as saying?
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8 Answers
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This is not exactly clear.
When you backshift the reported "thought," we lose the significance of the tense.

Do you mean something like, "I would like to join the club. I could meet new friends."

"I went to the party because I thought I could meet new friends."

You're telling us what she wanted to say.
Are you now asking us to suggest oth
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I had a chance to meet new friends is fine.

I could meet new friends can mean I would be able to meet new friends (later) or I was able to meet new friends (then, in the past). All three of these are also possible, depending on the exact meaning desired.

CJ
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I´m sorry. You are right! I have not been clear...

She was writing a postcard to a friend saying that last summer she worked at a beach café. And then she wrote "I could meet new friends!".

I understand what she wanted to say: I had the chance to meet new friends.

The problem is that I cannot expect her to say "I had the chance..." because she has a lower intermediate l
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Soprano She was writing a postcard to a friend saying that last summer she worked at a beach café. And then she wrote "I could meet new friends!".
I understand what she wanted to say: I had the chance to meet new friends.
t she did not want to talk about "ability".

Am I clearer now??
Yes, you're clear, but I'm not sure I agree with you. I
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Thank you for your time!!!

I understand this much better now!

So I can assume that:

"I could meet new friends" could mean the same as "I made new friends"

Thanks again. Soprano
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SopranoSo I can assume that:
"I could meet new friends" could mean the same as "I made new friends"
Right.
I was able to make new friends.
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SopranoSo I can assume that:
"I could meet new friends" could mean the same as "I made new friends"
If you want to describe something that happened in the past, then avoid could and simply say, "I was able to make new friends." Because could here could also mean, 'I would be able to make new friends.' That points to the future instead. So avoid this ambigu
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