if can not vs if could not

The phrases 'if can not' and 'if could not' are not directly comparable because they serve different purposes. 'If can not' is incorrect in standard English, as 'can not' should be written as 'cannot' or 'can't'. On the other hand, 'if could not' is correct and is used to express a condition in the past where the ability to do something was not present.

Last updated: March 20, 2024 • 1725 views

if can not

'If can not' is incorrect in standard English. 'Cannot' or 'can't' should be used instead.

The correct forms to use are 'if cannot' or 'if can't' to express a lack of ability in a conditional statement.

Show examples from the web [+]

May 19, 2009 ... That being said, to make the intended interpretation clearer, I think it's better to re- write the sentence if “can not” is being used to imply “choose ...
Jul 22, 2015 ... Every sentence with a "not" in it is negative. I suppose you are really asking if " can not" means the same as "cannot". To which the answer is no, ...
We can also determine that else if can not be one keyword by realizing that keywords are identifiers and we can see from the grammar for an ...
Feb 10, 2016 ... I can live with the restriction not to use cookies but i have an problem if can not get an cert for my domain for securely use it as admin or info ...

Alternatives:

if cannot
if can't

if could not

'If could not' is the correct form to use when expressing a condition in the past where the ability to do something was not present.

Use 'if could not' to talk about a hypothetical situation in the past where the ability to do something was lacking.

Show examples from the web [+]

Apr 26, 2013 ... Since it happens in informal contexts, I am not sure if "could not care less" is the right phrase, or if both are correct and they have slightly ...
I Will Quit Politics If Could Not Prove Discrepancies in NA-122 – Chaudhry Sarwar. Category Latest News Talk Shows Tag I Will Quit Politics If Could Not Prove ...
... SQLITE_ROW){ NSLog(@"row"); } else { // If could not execute the query show the error message on the debugger. NSLog(@"DB Error: %s", ...
lastInsertedRowID = sqlite3_last_insert_rowid(sqlite3Database); } else { // If could not execute the query show the error message on the ...

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if can not vs if could not

if can not

if could not

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