They can win the race. vs They could win the race yesterday.

The two phrases are not directly comparable because they are in different tenses and contexts. 'They can win the race' is in the present tense, indicating a possibility in the future, while 'they could win the race yesterday' is in the past tense, which doesn't make sense as 'yesterday' is already in the past. Each phrase is correct in its own context.

Last updated: March 15, 2024

They can win the race.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to express the possibility of winning a race in the future.

This phrase is used to talk about a potential future event, indicating that the subject has the ability or opportunity to win the race.

Examples:

They can win the race if they train hard.
With their skills, they can win the race easily.
I believe they can win the race this time.
Do you think they can win the race against such tough competition?
They can win the race if they have the right strategy.

Show examples from the web [+]

Minnesota Capitol: Women have proved they can win the race -- if persuaded to run. Bill Salisbury. Four decades after the election that shattered the glass ...
... place where speed is especially important. During a race, the snowmobiles in the track cover the distance in as little time as possible, so they can win the race.
Sep 24, 2014 ... As focused as they are on making sure they can win the race, the two know that they'll be able to work well as a team-meaning they could be a ...
Jan 19, 2015 ... ... people with their cars in order to acquire points so that they can win the race ( never mind actually getting first place in the actual race itself).

They could win the race yesterday.

This phrase is grammatically correct but doesn't make sense as 'yesterday' refers to a specific time in the past, and the use of 'could' for past ability or possibility is not suitable in this context.

The phrase 'could win' is used to talk about past ability or possibility, but when combined with 'yesterday,' it creates a contradiction in time references.

Examples:

They could have won the race yesterday if they had participated.
I thought they could win the race yesterday, but they didn't even show up.
They could win the race yesterday if they had the right equipment.
Could they have won the race yesterday if they had trained harder?
I believed they could win the race yesterday, but it was canceled due to bad weather.

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They can win the race. vs They could win the race yesterday.