Permission

Learn how to use can and may to ask for,

give

or refuse permission, and do the exercises to

practise using them.

Level: beginner

Asking for permission

We use can to ask for permission to

do something:

Can I ask a question, please?
Can we go home now?

could is more formal and

polite than can:

Could I ask a question, please?
Could we go home now?

may is another more formal and polite

way of asking for permission:

May I ask a question, please?
May we go home now?

We use can to give permission:

You can go home now.
You can borrow my pen if you like.

may is a more formal and polite

way of giving permission:

You may go home now.

We use can to say that someone

has permission to do something:

We can go out whenever we want.
Students can travel for free.

may is a more formal and polite

way of saying that someone

has permission:

Students may travel for free.

We use can't and may not to refuse

permission or say that someone

does not have permission:

You can't go home yet.
Students may not travel for free.