"I think I have been as friendly as I could"

Grammatically, should or could it be "can" instead of "could"?

Also, does this sentence sound positive enough to you? Without context, if you decide the context, what do you feel should be after this sentence or before it?

And I guess, it's not the same to say "I think I have been a (good) friend", is it?

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Answers

newenglandgenie

20 May

English (US)

Yes, you can use “can” here. It sounds positive.
Before: Considering how rude he was to me, I think I’ve been as friendly as I can.
After: I think I’ve been as friendly as I can considering how rude he was to me.

I’d say “as friendly as I can be”

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Pumpk-a-boo

20 May

Simplified Chinese (China)

@newenglandgenie Thanks!

And a possible response to the sentence could be "Why don't try to be more friendly?" or "Try to expand your ability to be friendly"

Does the response make any sense to you? Or natural to your ears?

btw…I kinda feel like they're trying to be hilarious if they give such responses

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