Question
Updated on
30 Nov 2022
- Korean Near fluent
-
English (US)
Question about English (US)
What’s the difference between can’t and wouldn’t in following situation?
Here is this situation.
I have a friend
And his dad has done something terrible to me.
So, I decided to tell him(my friend) what happened.
I would be like “your dad did something horrible to me”
And I think he would be like “what? He would never do that.” or “he could never have done that.” or “why would he do that”?
In this situation, what’s difference?
They seem to mean “there is no possibility”
What’s the difference between can’t and wouldn’t in following situation?
Here is this situation.
I have a friend
And his dad has done something terrible to me.
So, I decided to tell him(my friend) what happened.
I would be like “your dad did something horrible to me”
And I think he would be like “what? He would never do that.” or “he could never have done that.” or “why would he do that”?
In this situation, what’s difference?
They seem to mean “there is no possibility”
Here is this situation.
I have a friend
And his dad has done something terrible to me.
So, I decided to tell him(my friend) what happened.
I would be like “your dad did something horrible to me”
And I think he would be like “what? He would never do that.” or “he could never have done that.” or “why would he do that”?
In this situation, what’s difference?
They seem to mean “there is no possibility”
Answers
When you "disagree" with an answer
The owner of it will not be notified.
Only the user who asked this question will see who disagreed with this answer.
Read more comments
- English (US)
They would all be correct responses. Basically what they mean in a context like this is that your friend simply cannot believe that his father would do something bad. He is expressing shock and disbelief.
Highly-rated answerer
- English (US)
Using "would" means there a great chance that the dad will not do something.
Using "could" means he physically or mentally can not do something.
Hope this helps.
[News] Hey you! The one learning a language!
Do you know how to improve your language skills❓ All you have to do is have your writing corrected by a native speaker!
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
Sign up
Recommended Questions
- I was asked a question from my friend like, "what's this photo suppose to be?" in two separate...
- 日本語を人に教えてあげるときに 丁寧に話す時 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 日常会話で話す時 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX と書きたいです。 「丁寧に話す時」...
- How to respond to "I hope you are doing well"?
- what is correct? Where are you study? Or Where do you study? Thank you.
- If you are not the correct person, please direct me the correct one. Does this sentence sound nat...
Topic Questions
- Which sounds more natural? 1. Can you look over it for me, please? 2. Can you look it over for me...
- I wanna communicate with more people. I think if I know them thoughts or cultures, I’ll broaden...
- It poured. THUS we stayed home. このthus は日常会話でつかいますか？あまり聞き慣れない印象です。
- The broad principle of the law. If there arises any conflicts between two or more articles o...
- Is this phrase “scientists becoming aware of the matter” in the following sentence grammatically ...
Newest Questions
- do native speakers pronounce the "L" in "wolf" ?
- Are there any words that sound off in this paragraph? "At my home, I have a large picture that...
- What does "I'm in love just for now." mean? Does it even sound natural?
- Does these sentences sound natural? Please feel free to provide some examples, thanks. Did we ev...
- Is this natural? The market of cigarettes in Japan got smaller from 2020 to 2022, but since t...
Previous question/ Next question
What’s this symbol?
The Language Level symbol shows a user's proficiency in the languages they're interested in. Setting your Language Level helps other users provide you with answers that aren't too complex or too simple.
-
Beginner
Has difficulty understanding even short answers in this language.
-
Beginner-Intermediate
Can ask simple questions and can understand simple answers.
-
Intermediate
Can ask all types of general questions and can understand longer answers.
-
Advanced
Can understand long, complex answers.
Sign up for premium, and you can play other user's audio/video answers.
What are gifts?
Show your appreciation in a way that likes and stamps can't.
By sending a gift to someone, they will be more likely to answer your questions again!
If you post a question after sending a gift to someone, your question will be displayed in a special section on that person’s feed.
Tired of searching? HiNative can help you find that answer you're looking for.
