"can" = "will be able" or "am able" in conditionals?
Hi, I would like to know the closest meaning of modal "can". "Can" seems to take a general "be able" meaning.
For Zero conditional When you are quiet, I can study.
Means: When you are quiet, I am able to study.
How about First conditional? When you are asleep (in the future) , I can study. (I can study when you are asleep)
Does "can" here mean: When you are asleep, I am able to study. (I am able to study when you are asleep) OR When you are asleep, I will be able to study. (I will be able to study when you are asleep)
Thanks
Top answer
These are in the same tense: When you are quiet, I can study. When you are asleep, I can study. If you wish to place it in the future, you must use this: When you are asleep, I will be able to study.
— Mister Micawber
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When you add a specific future time adverbial, yes, but the verb form itself is simply 'timeless present' and without a denoted time reference can refer to any time, as your 2nd sentence does. (Note that you had to add 'you are not free now' to clarify, because the sentence itself does not reveal that fact.) There is no future form of 'can'.