Home › B1 › Grammar › Can, could, be allowed to, need to
Can, could, be allowed to, need to
B1 B1 grammar · lesson 12 of 23
Rules and permissions are part of school, work and travel. This lesson shows how to say what is permitted, what is necessary and what is not necessary, in the present and the past.
Permission: can, could, be allowed to
We use can and be allowed to to say that something is permitted. Can’t and not be allowed to mean it is not permitted.
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| permitted | can / am allowed to | could / was allowed to | will be allowed to |
| not permitted | can’t / am not allowed to | couldn’t / wasn’t allowed to | won’t be allowed to |
| question | Can I…? / Am I allowed to…? | Were you allowed to…? | Will we be allowed to…? |
Can has no future or infinitive form, so we use be allowed to there. For a single permitted action in the past, use was/were allowed to, not could.
To ask for permission politely, use Could I…? or Can I…? Could is more polite. To answer, we say Yes, of course or Sure, go ahead, and we use can, not could, in short answers: Yes, you can.
You can park here after 6 p.m.
Students aren’t allowed to use phones in the exam.
When I was a child, I couldn’t stay up after nine.
Last night we were allowed to go backstage after the concert.
Could I borrow your pen, please?
Next year you will be allowed to drive on your own.
Obligation: need to, don’t need to
Need to says that something is necessary. Don’t need to (or needn’t) says it is not necessary; you can do it, but you don’t have to. You know must and have to from A2. Need to works in a similar way.
I need to finish this report by Friday.
You don’t need to bring food. There’s a café.
Do we need to book a table?
Sam didn’t need to take a taxi because Lucy drove him.
Common mistakes
✗ We don’t allowed to smoke here.
✓ We aren’t allowed to smoke here.
✗ Next week we will can leave early.
✓ Next week we will be allowed to leave early.
✗ You don’t need bring your passport.
✓ You don’t need to bring your passport.