If the US government decides to intervene, the dictator and his family members can’t transfer their money to foreign bank accounts.

[MichaelLu2000]

Is this sentence in the title grammatically and semantically correct?

“If the US government decides to intervene, the dictator and his family members can’t transfer their money to foreign bank accounts.”

 

[5jj]

“If the US government decides to intervene, the dictator and his family members can’t transfer their money to foreign bank accounts.”

... won't be able to...

 

[MichaelLu2000]

Is

... won't be able to...

So can’t is unacceptable, isn’t it?

 

[5jj]

yes.

 

[Barque]

“If the US government decides to intervene, the dictator and his family members can’t transfer their money to foreign bank accounts.”

Could you tell us your source please?

 

[MichaelLu2000]

Could you tell us your source please?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ENGLISH/comments/13bcraz

 

[Barque]

It's been deleted by the original posted on Reddit.

Grammatically, I suppose "will not be able to" or "won't be able to" is the right choice. In casual speech however you'll hear "can't" being used in such sentences. The meaning's obvious enough.

 

[MichaelLu2000]

It's been deleted by the original posted on Reddit.

Grammatically, I suppose "will not be able to" or "won't be able to" is the right choice. In casual speech however you'll hear "can't" being used in such sentences. The meaning's obvious enough.

"Can" can sometimes be used: If you come home early, you can have dinner with us.

 

[MichaelLu2000]

... won't be able to...

I believe "won't be able to" is a good answer; however, I think "can't" might not be wrong as you have mentioned in some previous posts. "Can" can be used to refer to future possibilities or opportunities.

can VS will be able to

I will be able to speak French at the end of this course. (I feel less confident) I can speak French at the end of this course. (I have confidence & the future is based on the current circumstances & there is a great possibility that I can speak French later, so can I use "can" instead of...

www.usingenglish.com

 

[5jj]

As one member summed it up in that thread," No one agrees that one can say 'I can speak French at the end of this course".

 

[MichaelLu2000]

As one member summed it up in that thread," No one agrees that one can say 'I can speak French at the end of this course".

Yes it's just like no one would say: I can speak English next year if I study hard.

It's a learned ability that you can use more than one time. It's not an ability used in a specific situation.

I don't see how the sentence “If the US government decides to intervene, the dictator and his family members can’t transfer their money to foreign bank accounts.” falls into this category. It's not a learned or innate ability you can keep or lose for the rest of your life.

 

[Barque]

"Can" can sometimes be used: If you come home early, you can have dinner with us.

This isn't exactly the same structure as the one in your OP. This sentence sounds better than the one in the OP.

 

[MichaelLu2000]

This isn't exactly the same structure as the one in your OP. This sentence sounds better than the one in the OP.

May I have you explanation about why this is different?

 

[Barque]

I can't give you a grammatical explanation, only a simplistic one.

OP: If X does this, Y can't do that.
Post #8: If you do this, you can do that.

Do you see a difference?