could in All languages combined

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{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "can",
      "tags": [
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "could",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "couldn't",
      "tags": [
        "negative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "can",
        "2": "could",
        "3": "couldn't"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb4"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When I was younger, I could run a five-minute mile."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you could do something, you were able to do it."
      ],
      "id": "simple-could-en-verb-VbcYVh6p",
      "raw_tags": [
        "modal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "She could do her math or go to the game."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you could something, but you don't know if you want to, you have the option of doing do it."
      ],
      "id": "simple-could-en-verb-J8LSo-kE",
      "raw_tags": [
        "modal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kʊd/"
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/kUd/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-could.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    "auxiliary",
    "modal"
  ],
  "word": "could"
}

[Show JSON for raw wiktextract data ▼] [Hide JSON for raw wiktextract data ▲]

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "can",
      "tags": [
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "could",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "couldn't",
      "tags": [
        "negative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "can",
        "2": "could",
        "3": "couldn't"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb4"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Modal auxiliary verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When I was younger, I could run a five-minute mile."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you could do something, you were able to do it."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "modal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Modal auxiliary verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "She could do her math or go to the game."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you could something, but you don't know if you want to, you have the option of doing do it."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "modal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kʊd/"
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/kUd/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-could.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    "auxiliary",
    "modal"
  ],
  "word": "could"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the simplewiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.

"could" meaning in All languages combined

Verb [English]