Meaning
1. Thể hiện sự ngạc nhiên hoặc không tin tưởng: Khi bạn không thể hiểu được tại sao hoặc bằng cách nào một sự việc lại xảy ra hoặc một hành động đã được thực hiện, bạn có thể dùng “How could I”. Ví dụ: “How could I miss such an important meeting?” (Làm sao tôi có thể bỏ lỡ một cuộc họp quan trọng như vậy được?).
2. Tự vấn về khả năng: Đôi khi, “How could I” được sử dụng để tự hỏi về khả năng thực hiện một việc gì đó, thường với ý nghĩa tự phê bình hoặc hoài nghi. Ví dụ: “How could I forget his birthday?” (Làm sao tôi có thể quên sinh nhật của anh ấy được?).
3. Cách dùng trong giao tiếp hàng ngày: Đây là một cách diễn đạt phổ biến trong giao tiếp hàng ngày, thường đi kèm với cảm xúc mạnh mẽ để nhấn mạnh sự ngạc nhiên hoặc thất vọng của người nói. Sử dụng “How could I” có thể giúp bạn truyền tải cảm xúc một cách rõ ràng và mạnh mẽ trong tiếng Anh, là công cụ hữu ích để thể hiện cảm giác ngạc nhiên hoặc tự vấn một cách tự nhiên.
Today's Sentences
- How could I help you?.
- How could I thank you?
- How could I run without you?
- How could I forget your birthday?
- How could I fall out of love with you?
- Writer's Note
01
How could I help you?
Situation 1
How could I help you?
I’m trying to find the offices of Parker and Parker?
They’re located on the 5th floor.
The elevators are to your left.
Thang máy nằm bên trái của bạn.
Thank you so much.
Situation 2
Welcome.
How could I help you?
Bạn cần tôi giúp gì không?
I’m looking for a gift for my dad.
Did you have anything in mind?
I wanted to look at vests, shirts, or accessories.
02
How could I thank you?
Situation 1
Excuse me, did you help my Grandma cross the street yesterday?
I did.
How could I thank you?
You were probably on your way somewhere but took the time to help her across.
Bạn có lẽ đang trên đường đi đâu đó nhưng đã dành thời gian để giúp cô ấy qua đường.
It was no problem, I wanted to help her.
Thank you for reaching out though.
Cảm ơn bạn đã liên lạc nhé.
Situation 2
I brought over an apple pie to welcome you to our neighborhood.
That’s so sweet of you.
How could I thank you?
Làm sao tôi có thể cảm ơn bạn được đây?
There’s nothing to thank.
Maybe we could have coffee when you’re free.
Có lẽ chúng ta có thể đi uống cà phê khi bạn rảnh.
That would be lovely.
Thanks, again!
Cảm ơn bạn lần nữa!
03
How could I run without you?
Situation 1
Sorry I can’t work out with you.
That’s okay.
Feel free to go for your morning runs.
How could I run without you?
You’re my favorite running buddy.
Bạn là người bạn chạy yêu thích của tôi.
Situation 2
I don’t think I can make the marathon this year.
Why not?
How could I run without you?
Làm sao tôi có thể chạy mà không có bạn?
I’ve got a work trip that I can’t get out of.
You’re my pacemaker and motivator.
But I'll try to get through the marathon the best I can.
Nhưng tôi sẽ cố gắng vượt qua cuộc marathon tốt nhất có thể.
04
How could I forget your birthday?
Situation 1
Surprise!
You remembered?
How could I forget your birthday?
I thought everyone forgot this year because no one mentioned anything.
Situation 2
Here, I got you something.
What?
Is this my birthday gift?
Đây có phải là quà sinh nhật của tôi không?
Of course!
How could I forget your birthday?
Làm sao mà tôi có thể quên sinh nhật của bạn được chứ?
Well, I never expect anything but thank you for the celebration.
05
How could I fall out of love with you?
Situation 1
Do you think we’ll still be married in 10 years?
What do you mean?
We’re 10 years strong already.
Chúng tôi đã vững mạnh suốt 10 năm rồi.
Well, you never know.
You could meet someone and end up in love.
Bạn có thể gặp ai đó và cuối cùng lại yêu nhau.
How could I fall out of love with you?
Situation 2
Are you still in love with me?
How could I fall out of love with you?
Anything can happen.
There are no guarantees in life.
Không có gì được đảm bảo trong cuộc sống.
You’re right.
But I can promise you that I love you as much as I did when we first met.
Nhưng tôi có thể hứa với bạn rằng tôi yêu bạn nhiều như khi chúng ta mới gặp nhau.
Writer's Note
In the examples above, you can see that the sentences are formed with "How could I" + verb. But we can change the tone and meaning with "How could I have" + past participle. When using this formula it means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it.
- How could I have written this book without you?
- How could I have gotten home without you?
- How could I have lost all this weight without your support?
- How could I have received this award without your guidance?
- How could I have spelled your name incorrectly?
Here's a tip or two about past participles.
- Form past participles of regular verbs. Add "-ed" to the base form of the verb, or "-d" if the verb ends in "e".
For example: call👉called, dance👉danced, watch👉watched. - The past participle and simple past form are the same for regular verbs.
For example: loved👉loved, listened👉listened, played👉played. - Pronunciations can differ for past participles ending in "-ed". The pronunciation depends on the last sound of the verb.
- Use past participles in tenses like present perfect, past perfect, future perfect, and conditional perfect.
Present Perfect👉I have eaten (past participle: eaten)
Past Perfect👉She had finished (past participle: finished)
Future Perfect👉They will have completed (past participle: completed)
Conditional Perfect👉If he had studied harder... (past participle: studied) - Use past participles in the passive voice. Use the conjugated form of the verb "be" with the past participle. Structure would look like this; to be verb (was, were, is, are, etc.) + past participle.
For example: The breaking news has been reported on various channels worldwide. - Use past participles with auxiliary verbs. Precede the past tense verb with an auxiliary verb.
For example: She has finished the dishes.
For example: The kids had eaten before we arrived home.
Ví dụ: call👉called, dance👉danced, watch👉watched.
Ví dụ: loved👉loved, listened👉listened, played👉played.
Hiện tại hoàn thành👉I have eaten (quá khứ phân từ: eaten)
Quá khứ hoàn thành👉She had finished (quá khứ phân từ: finished)
Tương lai hoàn thành👉They will have completed (quá khứ phân từ: completed)
Điều kiện hoàn thành👉If he had studied harder... (quá khứ phân từ: studied)
Ví dụ: Tin tức nóng hổi đã được báo cáo trên nhiều kênh trên toàn thế giới.
Ví dụ: She has finished the dishes.
Ví dụ: The kids had eaten before we arrived home.