[00:00.00]
            [00:00.72]Children in American schools learn to use the modal may when asking for permission. 
[00:08.24]A student might ask the teacher, ��May I be excused?�� before leaving the room. 
[00:14.53]When students asked, ��Can I leave the room?�� their teachers often made a joke, ��You can, but you may not.�� 
[00:23.55]The teacher was saying the student is able to leave the room, but does not have permission to do so. May is the most formal way to ask for permission. 
[00:36.30]The distinction between can and may is slowly disappearing in English.