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Could I loose my money? Does it mean "asking for permission" or "confirming the possibilities if there is"?

If both are correct then how would I know? What does speaker mean with it?

Scenario I: I am on bike making my way to home.

My Friend comes to me said "There is a riot. Don't go there."

Me "Could I lose my money?"

Scenario II: In a cash counter; cashier already counting someone's money.

Me: "Could I loose my money?" (so that he can start counting mine)

Is using could in both the scenarios acceptable?

StoneyB on hiatus
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1 Answers1

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You seem to have two main points of confusion here.

  1. loose vs lose ... Lose is a verb meaning "mislay" or "be deprived of". If you put your money somewhere and cannot find it now you would say that you have lost your money. Or if you invest in a stock and the stock price goes down you would say that you have lost money.

    So your first example,"Could I lose my money?" makes sense if you are asking whether it is likely that the rioters will attack you and take your money.

    Loose means to "set free" or "release". It is most often used in situations where a dog (or, figuratively, a subordinate or ally) is released from its leash so it can hunt or attack. But it is not a very common word these days; we are more likely to say "set loose" or "let loose", with loose acting as an adjective.

    In any case, it is not used to mean simply taking something out of where it is stored, which appears to be what you are trying to say. In your first example it may be that you are asking whether you should take your money out of your pocket or wallet in order to hide it—perhaps in your sock. In your second example you seem to be asking whether you should take your money out of your wallet so the cashier can count it. Loose is not appropriate in either case; what you want is probably something like

    Should I take my money out and hide it?
    Should I take out my money?

  2. should vs could ... Use of the modal verbs (can/could, may/might, must, shall/should, will/would) is very complicated; but I doubt that you want to use could in the second example. In these contexts could talks about possibility or ability or opportunity. "Could I lose my money?" means "Is it possible that my money might be lost?", and that makes sense; but "Could I take out my money?" means "Is it possible for me to take out my money?"

    What you probably want here is should, which in these contexts talks about desirability. "Should I take out my money?" means "Is it a good idea for me to take out my money?" or "Is now a good time for me to take out my money?".

StoneyB on hiatus
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  • The thing which was confusing me is; "Could I loose my money?" here I am happy and wanted to loose so that cashier can count it. Then "Could I lose my money?" here I had the confusion because I would not be happy if my money gets lost. I am not hoping for this to happen. After you explanation I should say It's quite clear but not thoroughly. :) – user22225 Aug 13 '15 at 13:03
  • @User22225 We were all confused,too, because a) loose and lose are two entirely different things, and b) loose is never used in the sense you have in mind. ... Don't be in a hurry to accept; wait a while and see if you get a better answer. – StoneyB on hiatus Aug 13 '15 at 13:06
  • @user22225 Now that you've clarified your meaning, I've rewritten a little. – StoneyB on hiatus Aug 13 '15 at 13:08
  • "Could I lose my money?" here I had the confusion because I would not be happy if my money gets lost. I am not hoping for this to happen. is this acceptable and perfectly makes sense? – user22225 Aug 13 '15 at 13:09
  • @user22225 Yes, that makes sense. You are worried and want to know if it is possible that you will lose your money. – StoneyB on hiatus Aug 13 '15 at 13:14
  • Thanks a lot ^this statement of your cleared my doubt what I was having earlier. – user22225 Aug 13 '15 at 13:25
  • @user22225: It may help you to appreciate that lose and loose are two different verbs here if you note that there's also the verb to loosen** (to make loose, to relax* [the constraints on something]). Idiomatically, you'd normally loosen your shirt collar* (you wouldn't unleash or loose it, quite apart from the fact that the latter word is, as StoneyB says, relatively uncommon these days). – FumbleFingers Aug 13 '15 at 14:40