If you like, we will let you try oysters.

[bruxinha]

The sentence above was taken from an exam by a fellow teacher. (He's had a minor car accident and is in hospital now, so I have to correct his students' exams).

The original was: If you like, we _____ let you _____ (try) oysters.
The task was to fill in the blanks with the first conditional (there were other sentences before and after this one; I can post them too, if needed).

My question is: How does "can" sound here, instead of "will"? I have a somewhat strange feeling about it, but cannot explain exactly why it doesn't really sound that good to me...

"Can" may be used in conditionals, but it's more like a permission. For example: We can let you saty up late if you behave during dinner.
But in this case I have a strange feeling when I change the above sentence from "If you like, we will let you try oysters." (meaning we'll be glad to give them to you if you want to try) into the variation of can: "If you like, we'll be able to let you try oysters."

What do you think about it? Does it sound natural, is it still acceptable, or is it something a native speaker would never say?

 

[emsr2d2]

There are several grammatical possibilities:

... we will let you try oysters.
... we might let you try oysters.
... we could let you try oysters.
... we can let you try oysters.

Note that that use of "can" isn't really the same as "are able to/will be able to". It's hard to explain the slight difference but it's more like "we'll be willing to let you try".

 

[teechar]

The original was: If you like, we _____ let you _____ (try) oysters.
The task was to fill in the blanks with the first conditional (there were other sentences before and after this one; I can post them too, if needed).

If it has to be in the first conditional structure, then "..., we will let you try" is what's needed.

Does it sound natural ...?

The straightforward version would be: "If you like, you can try (the) oysters", but then again, we haven't seen the broader context you have alluded to above. Can you show us it?

 

[bruxinha]

If it has to be in the first conditional structure, then "..., we will let you try" is what's needed.

The straightforward version would be: "If you like, you can try (the) oysters", but then again, we haven't seen the broader context you have alluded to above. Can you show us it?

Well, of course that would be the straightforward version I would have chosen, had I written the exercise... but as I said, it's from a fellow teacher. And it wouldn't have fitted the purpose so well - students had to complete the text with the first conditional.
In some cases, you can swap the "will" and use a modal verb instead, but in this particular sentence it doesn't sound exactly right to me. Hard to explain... maybe it's just a spleen of my brain?
Anyway, there were some students who used the "can" version, and I'd like to explain exactly why the "will" version is the better one. Here's the complete exercise:

Use of English: Structures
Read the text. Complete the if-sentences, type 1.

Discover Ireland!
PLACES IN THE COUNTRY
If you _______________________________ (visit) Carlingford, you will see the real Ireland.
If you like, we __________ let you _____________ (try) oysters.
You will have a lovely day here if the weather _______________(be) nice.
If you ______________ (go) to the Leprechaun Cavern, you will hear lots of stories about leprechauns. If you stay at any hotel here for three nights, you __________ (get) a free dish of fresh fish.

DUBLIN
If you ______________ (come) to Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day, you will see lots of people wearing green clothes and funny hats.
If you go on a walk with a tourist guide, you ________________ (learn) lots of interesting facts about Dublin.
If you ____________________ (want) to, the tourist office will send you information on Dublin’s hostels.
You______________________ (meet) young people from all over the world if you stay in a hostel.

Just as an example, I think "can" fits very well in the last sentence, but not quite so well in the one from my question above. Or is it just a spleen of mine, and perfectly acceptable for a native speaker?

Thanks for your help!

 

[teechar]

If you like, we __________ let you _____________ (try) oysters.

Either "can" or "will" can work in that sentence, but you'd need the right scenario to use it! What I mean is that ordinarily (in a normal restaurant context), I would expect something like the one I suggested above, not the one listed in that exercise.

You______________________ (meet) young people from all over the world if you stay in a hostel.

Again, both "can" and "will" are possible; "will" is stronger than "can".
Does that help?

 

[jutfrank]

I can only guess that the person who wrote the question was imagining a waiter addressing a diner, in which case the version with 'will' works to make a simple offer. There's no reason to imagine a waiter using 'can' there. If a student did use 'can' in that sentence, I'd mark it as wrong, not because 'can' doesn't make sense or that it's ungrammatical but simply because it's not the right answer.

I also think that 'if you like' should rather be 'if you would like' but that's a different matter. Finally, the lack of a definite article before 'oysters' is perhaps the worst thing about this poor question.