"You could/can take it with you to work, and give it to your colleagues."

[B45]

I gave my wife a few cupcakes, and she says she can't finish all of them. I told her to:

"You could/can take it with you to work, and share it with your colleagues."

Are both useable?

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: "You could/can take it with you to work, and give it to your colleagues."

I would use "could" as I am just making a suggestion. If there is only one cupcake left, your "it" is correct. If there is more than one left, then you should suggest that she take "them" to work and share "them" with her colleagues. It would have to be a very big single cupcake to share with one's colleagues.

 

[Winwin2011]

Re: "You could/can take it with you to work, and give it to your colleagues."

I would use "could" as I am just making a suggestion. If there is only one cupcake left, your "it" is correct. If there is more than one left, then you should suggest that she take "them" to work and share "them" with her colleagues. It would have to be a very big single cupcake to share with one's colleagues.

Hello, ems.

If we are making a suggestion, does 'could' sound more polite than 'can'?

 

[faisaljan]

Re: "You could/can take it with you to work, and give it to your colleagues."

I told her to:"You could/can take it with you to work, and share it with your colleagues."

Are both useable?

the question is about direct/indirect structure. If it remain in quotation marks then "You can take them with you to work, and share them with your colleagues."
but if the narrator telling this to an other listener then it should be
I told her that she could take them with her to work, and share them with her colleagues.
I am not a teacher I am also a learner. Moderator please have a look at this.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: "You could/can take it with you to work, and give it to your colleagues."

But it is perfectly possible to say in direct speech "You could take them into work ...". I don't find "could" more polite than "can". "Could" suggests a possibility. "Can" states a fact.