can seem to
I sometimes see "can seem to ". Is it wrong? or commonly used?

for example,
"He can seem to afford to buy a car."

Does this mean,
"He seems to be able to afford to buy a car." ?

Thank you. :)

Question

can seem to
I sometimes see "can seem to ". Is it wrong? or commonly used?

for example,
"He can seem to afford to buy a car."

Does this mean, 
"He seems to be able to afford to buy a car." ?

Thank you. :)

Answer

Hi your second answer is the correct one: "He seems to be able to afford to buy a car."

Answer

Used in this phrase "can seem to" is wrong.  Usually "can seem to" is used in phrases that talk about deception or misrepresentation.
For example: "He can seem to be nice sometimes but really he's a terrible boss."
The "can" introduces possibility and implies that he doesn't always seem to be nice.
This sentence can be changed slightly with the use of different modal verbs.
For example, "He may/might seem to be nice..."  which has the sense that the impression happened once and may not be repeated.

Answer

can seem to is wrong 
he seems to or seems to be able to is correct

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!