“Can't you do that in the other room?”

English Lesson: Can't you do that in the other room?

You are studying in the living room. Your brother is playing games on his phone, loudly. Feeling annoyed, you ask him to go to another room in the house.

Can't you do that in the other room?

Want Video and Sound? Follow us on YouTube

can't you (do something)

You can ask "Can't you ___?" instead of "Can you ___?" when you're not just asking a question, but trying to convince someone to do something.

Imagine that you're trying to convince your son, who's playing a noisy game, to play in another room so that it doesn't distract you. You can say:

Can't you do that in the other room?

You can sound either polite or annoyed when you say "Can't you ___?" But in any case, you are trying to convince the listener.

the other room

Say this to talk about a room in a house or building, but it must be a room that you’re not in. You might say it if you’re feeling lazy, or if you’re not sure what to call a room. You probably don’t need to say “the other room” about a bathroom or kitchen, because these rooms have easy and obvious names. 

A: Have you seen my glasses?

B: They’re in the other room.