Difference between "Can't you" and "Can you not"?

Question

I've been wondering about the difference between questions that use can't you and can you not. Like:

Can't you tell just by looking? [I read this from a comic-detective series]
  Can you not hear me? [I heard this from an animation movie]

So, does it make a difference when you use can't you and can you not? Or anything else like it, such as is it not and isn't it?

I also find that question tags often use those two types of tags, which in my mind are somewhat not interchangeable, such as:

It's surprisingly hard to find, is it not?
  It's surprisingly hard to find, isn't it?

I think both forms are grammatically correct, but I can't figure how they differ each other.

mplungjan · Accepted Answer

A simple stress of the NOT in the sentence, that's all.
Can't you hear me? - am I not getting through?
Can you not hear me? - is it really true you can NOT hear me?
The is it not? is getting on a bit. A little archaic. I would not expect to hear it outside a '50s boarding school movie
Another user for not is this:
Can't you do this? - are you not able to do it?
Can you NOT do this? - please stop doing it.

Colin Fine · Answer

With parts of be and modals (can, should etc), the two forms

Isn't he, won't you, shouldn't they

and

Is he not, will you not, should they not

are in free variation. Some people rarely use the uncontracted forms, but others use both, with sometimes the uncontracted form being a little stronger, or just more formal.

In the case of the modals, and especially can, there is the possibility of ambiguity, because

can you not go?

which usually means "is it impossible for you to go", can also mean "is it possible for you not to go": this meaning will generally be expressed by a strong stress on not, and probably a break before it.

user73991 · Answer

In Cumbria we often use the 'is it not'/'would you not'/'can you not' etc. version where people from the south of the Uk would say 'isn't it'/'wouldn't you'/'can't you' etc.

Tracey Frank · Answer

I am American, south-eastern American. But my mother is a strict Grammer Nazi. So, this is how I see it:

Can't you pick up the kids from church?

This is a quick question stated in simplest terms. And it is stated in a positive way that, on its own, sounds as if the person asking it just needs clarification on something that has been previously discussed or acknowledged in some way, shape, or form.

On the other hand:

"Can you not" pick the kids up from church?

No matter which word a person emphasizes, to me, it always sounds like it has a negative tone, as if it is being said in this way in order to make a statement of disgust, disappointment, or even sorrow, instead of as a question that requires an answer.

Difference between "Can't you" and "Can you not"?

4 Answers

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question