how you do that vs How could you do that

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'How you do that' is a simple present tense question, while 'How could you do that' is a past tense question expressing surprise or disapproval. The choice between them depends on the context and the intended meaning.

Last updated: April 10, 2024 • 134 views

how you do that

This phrase is correct when used as a simple present tense question.

This phrase is used to ask about a current action or process. It is a direct question in the present tense.

Examples:

Can you show me how you do that?
Do you remember how you do that?
Tell me how you do that.
Explain to me how you do that.
I wonder how you do that.

Show examples from the web [+]

Without getting too much into the question of the nature and purpose of grammar (a traditional, formal, writer would say that “how you do that" is wrong, ...
How Ya Do Dat Lyrics: Unngghh, How you do that there (remix), how you do that there / New Orleans, Baton Rouge How you do that there / Lafeyette, ...

Alternatives:

how do you do that
how are you doing that
how can you do that
how would you do that
how will you do that

How could you do that

This phrase is correct when expressing surprise or disapproval about a past action.

This phrase is used to express shock, surprise, or disapproval about a past action. It is a question in the past tense.

Examples:

How could you do that to me?
I can't believe how could you do that!
How could you do that without asking?
How could you do that knowing the consequences?
How could you do that to someone you care about?

Show examples from the web [+]

Mar 25, 2022 ... How could you do that?” Of the injuries he sustained, Colon says the most painful are five broken ribs. He also has a broken ankle and ...
Nov 18, 2020 ... Synonym for how could you do that How could you did that is incorrect. How could you do that is in the present or hypothetical or happened ...
May 2, 2020 ... 1: How could you do that? = "rhetorical question" - speaker is expressing shock / disapproval that you did it. 2: How could you have done ...
Hello, everyone. Could you please explain to me the difference between How could you do that to me? and How could you have done that to me? when asked as...

Alternatives:

why did you do that
how did you do that
how can you do that
how would you do that
how will you do that

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Amazing! I like that the editors are REAL people and not A.I., like some use. The editors actually see clients as real people and not just apart of their job, and it shows. 💖"
moggie April 2025
"TextRanch has been a great help to me, especially at work because I often email my boss."
Jhey April 2025
"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023