couldn't

See also: couldnt

English

Etymology

From could +‎ n’t.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkʊd.(ə)nt/
  • (Yorkshire) IPA(key): [ˈkʊnʔ]
  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

couldn't

  1. could not (negative auxiliary[1])
    You couldn’t lend me a lighter, could you?
    ‘Would you like another drink?’ ‘No thanks, I couldn’t.’

Coordinate terms

See also

  • Appendix:English modal verbs
  • Appendix:English tag questions

References

  1. ^ Arnold M. Zwicky and Geoffrey K. Pullum, Cliticization vs. Inflection: English n’t, Language 59 (3), 1983, pp. 502-513
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