can with remember, understand, speak, play, see, hear, feel, taste and smell

1 remember, understand, speak, play

These verbs usually mean the same with or without can.

• I (can) remember London during the war.
  


• She can speak Greek I She speaks Greek.
  


• I can't/don't understand.
  


• Can/Do you play the piano?

2 see, hear, feel, smell, taste

We do not use these verbs in progressive tenses when they refer to perception (receiving information through the eyes, ears etc).
To talk about seeing, hearing etc at a particular moment, we often use can see, can hear etc.

• I can see Susan coming, (not I'm seeing . . . )


• I can hear somebody coming up the stairs.


• What did you put in the stew? I can taste something funny.