Usage examples of "could" in English with translation to German

Select source language

Select target language

Translations: all3142 können3024 dürfen89 other translations29

show all

Without air, nothing could live. Ohne Luft gäbe es kein Leben.

I could not make the train. Ich habe den Zug nicht gekriegt.

We could see nothing but fog. Wir haben nichts als Nebel gesehen.

I could see nothing but fog. Ich sah nichts außer Nebel.

Thanks to your help, I could succeed. Dank deiner Hilfe habe ich es geschafft.

With a hundred dollars, I could manage. Mit ein paar hundert Dollar käme ich schon zurecht.

Could you please turn the radio on. Mach bitte das Radio an.

Could you bring us the bill, please? Die Rechnung, bitte.

He asked me if I could speak English. Er fragte mich, ob ich Englisch spräche.

I wish I could be in Paris now. Ich wäre jetzt gerne in Paris.

I could swim faster when I was young. Als ich jünger war, schwamm ich schneller.

He did everything he could to get the prize. Er gab alles um den Preis zu gewinnen.

To my surprise, she could not answer the question. Zu meiner Überraschung gelang es ihr nicht, die Frage zu beantworten.

Nothing could be more useful than a copying machine. Nichts wäre praktischer als ein Kopiergerät.

He could not comprehend the value of her advice. Er verstand nicht den Wert ihres Rates.

Tom called Mary every bad name he could think of. Tom beleidigte Mary auf jede erdenkliche Art und Weise.

He was a Frenchman. I could tell by his accent. Er war Franzose. Ich erkannte es an seiner Aussprache.

I closed the door so no one could hear us. Ich habe die Tür geschlossen, damit man uns nicht hört.

We got up early so that we could see the sunrise. Wir sind früh aufgestanden, um den Sonnenaufgang zu sehen.

He left early; otherwise he could not have caught the train. Er ist früh los, sonst hätte er den Zug nicht gekriegt. [ugs.]

Examples of word usage in different contexts are provided solely for linguistic purposes, i.e. to study word usage in a sentence in one language and how they can be translated into another. All samples are automatically collected from a variety of publicly available open sources using bilingual search technologies.
If you find a spelling, punctuation or any other error in the original or translation, use the "Report a problem" option or write to us.

What is translation in context on PROMT.One

The “Contexts” section on PROMT.One is your translation-in-context tool that helps you find real examples of how words and phrases are used. Just enter a word and the service will show its translation in context — sentences from bilingual sources where this word is used together with its translation into the target language. This helps you understand subtle shades of meaning and correct usage in speech, whether it is a rare term or a common everyday phrase.

Millions of usage examples from real texts

Millions of translation examples are collected automatically from already translated texts: documents, websites, books, movie dialogues and more. Thanks to this, you can see a word in different situations — from formal business style to everyday colloquial speech. For convenience, the results can be filtered by a specific translation or topic, and you can also search within the examples found to quickly focus on the context you need.

How translation in context helps you learn a language

By using the “Contexts” section, you can effectively expand your vocabulary. The service clearly shows how idioms, phrasal verbs and polysemantic words are translated in different contexts. This makes language learning easier: you remember new words together with their real usage and immediately see correct translations in authentic, living language. Take advantage of context-based translation on PROMT.One — learning a language becomes easier and more engaging!

PROMT Professional NMT

Try offline translator for your PC and laptop

Download

PROMT Master NMT

Accurate document translation

Download