Using "May I' Vs 'Can I' - English Grammar Lesson Video Lecture

hi this is Seema and I am back with a
new lesson on may I
versus can i well this is going to be a
really small lesson but a very important
one
because I see a lot of people make a
very common error of using a may i when
they need to really use a can I and the
opposite well a subscriber called Josh
wrote in the other day about clearing
this error and this is especially for
you so let's have a look and see what is
the difference and when do I use each of
these words alright when I'm using the
word may I
the very word may talks about permission
sadly in life we are not permitted to do
everything we want to are we well that
is why we need to ask for permission and
when the word may I is used you are
inevitably asking for permission and
then you have a word like kin which
specifically talks about being able to
do something in other words it talks
about your capability again in life we
can't really do everything there are
some things I can do or some things I am
capable of doing and there are some
things I don't have the ability to do so
when I can do something when I am
capable of doing something I will use
the word can let's you know use them in
sentences and see where we can kind of
remove these errors once and for all
well look at the sentence it says may I
use the bathroom
suppose I was to say
can I use the bathroom you tell me does
that sound right to you well can as I
said refers to your capability your
ability to do something can you use the
bathroom of course you can use the
bathroom
you've grown up using the bathroom as a
baby you were taught to use the bathroom
of course you can use the bathroom isn't
this a very ridiculous question
yes it is therefore the can is a very
obvious grammatical error and therefore
I always must use the word may I use the
bathroom
so you're sitting at the dinner table
and it is rude to get up from there but
you need to use the bathroom very you
know desperately and therefore you need
to ask permission to get up and leave
the dinner table and go to the bathroom
and that is why you will ask for
permission and therefore you use the
word may I use the bathroom
moving on to a sentence like can you fix
the bathroom light okay so you're in
your bathroom and the light's gone out
you need someone to fix it well can I
use the word may for example may you fix
the bathroom light well that does not
really make sense but yes why do I use
the word can I can you fix the bathroom
light as I said not everyone is capable
of doing something not everyone has the
ability to fix the bathroom light I
cannot fix a bathroom light I don't have
the ability to do it but if I want to
know who has the ability to do this then
I would I would ask them can you fix the
bathroom light okay so suppose if I'm in
somebody else's house and suppose I can
fix the bathroom light but now because
I'm in somebody else's
house I want to ask permission to do
that so in that case I would say may I
fix your bathroom light do you see the
difference in both here we're talking
about capability we're trying to see who
can do this job for you now that I know
I can do the job I want to ask for
permission to do it that is the main
difference between the words may and can
we will of course now deal with some
examples and do a small exercise both of
us so that we remove these errors and
help you understand the differences
better well now that we've learned that
made deals with permission and can
refers to your ability to do things
we're now going to do a small exercise
and keeping this in mind let's solve it
without making the error
the first one is mom you have blank here
we go outside soon it's the question of
course what do I use do I use Mei or do
I use can ok let us think ok we said Mei
refers to permission and can refers to
ability if I said mom can we go outside
soon that is not sound about right
because of course you can go outside you
are an adult even if you are a
five-year-old you had the ability to go
outside soon so you don't need to really
ask someone that do you but if I was
asking for permission because I need to
ask permission from my mother that's
when I use the word Mei so in this case
it makes more sense if I said may we go
outside soon as opposed to can and then
I'll have a sentence like yes children
you a blank go outside as soon as you
finish your
homework I am guessing that the second
sentence is a direct response to the
question which we saw in the first
sentence so when the children asked for
permission to go outside
naturally the mother gave them the
permission and therefore you will have a
may again yes children you may go
outside as soon as you finish your
homework there will not be a can in this
case because as I pointed out the
children can go outside they have the
ability but your they are asking for the
permission which was granted to them and
then you've got a sentence like how many
students fit inside a sports car okay so
we're talking about number of students
so you have maybe four students and
you've got a sports car which is maybe a
three seater okay what am I talking
about I'm trying to fit four students
into a car with a with a particular
capacity so in other words can I say you
know that the capability of the sports
car is to fit a certain number of people
in there and therefore since we're
talking about capability we have to use
the word can I cannot say how many
students may fit inside a sports car I
am NOT asking for permission I am
wanting to know the capability or the
capacity of that sports car to fit in a
certain number of students and therefore
can is the obvious choice and then you
have a sentence like - you spell
Mississippi well for a number of years
I've been very bad at spelling I could
not take notes because I do not know to
spell so of course
spelling is a capability not everyone
can spell correctly and therefore
because we're talking about capability I
will always use can you spell
Mississippi and then you have dad - we
watch TV all day long
of course this is going to be permission
again you can watch TV you have the
capability but of course you're not
talking about your capability you're
you're asking for permission and
therefore you say dad may we watch TV
all day long well that brings me to the
end of this lesson on May I versus can i
I hope you found it interesting and I
hope you will not make the same error
again this is me saying this is me
saying goodbye I will be back with some
more lessons you take good care