Timeline for Difference between "can" and "may"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Aug 29, 2023 at 18:57 | comment | added | Peter Jennings | @DilipSarwate I'm with your old headmaster. He sums up the difference, as I have always understood it, in 6 words. | |
| Jan 4, 2013 at 10:22 | history | edited | RegDwigнt | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 5 characters in body
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| Jan 12, 2012 at 5:05 | comment | added | Kris | @DilipSarwate +1 for 'a polite robber', true. | |
| Jan 11, 2012 at 13:37 | comment | added | Dilip Sarwate | My high school headmaster who also was the senior English teacher illustrated the difference when someone asked "Can I do X?" where X was something that was not ordinarily permitted under school rules. The response was "You can but you may not." So, "May I use your pen, please?" (note: not "have" which could be taken to mean that you intend to keep the pen forever; indeed, "borrow" would be even better than "use") is how I would phrase it. "Can I have your pen, please?" is not only blunt as Barrie England points out, but could be used by a polite robber or strong-arm person. | |
| Jan 11, 2012 at 12:26 | comment | added | Peter Shor | Actually, even "Is it possible for me to have your pen?" (the literal meaning of 'can') would be interpreted as a request for the pen by native English speakers. | |
| Jan 11, 2012 at 9:08 | comment | added | Kris | -1 In OP's examples, can and may mean exactly the same thing -- related to permission; ability is not a factor. In fact, in the sense of being able to, the question Can I would be entirely different from what is implied here. | |
| Jan 11, 2012 at 8:13 | history | answered | Jan Wikholm | CC BY-SA 3.0 |