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Phrasal verbs

Count on: meaning, examples and practice

Count on means to rely on someone. Why you can't say calculate on, how count on differs from depend on, plus examples and an exercise.

Count on means to rely on someone: You can count on me. The second meaning is to expect something to happen and make plans based on it: Don't count on good weather.

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count on + someone/something; count on + someone + to do; can always count on…

  • When my car broke down at night, I knew I could count on my brother to come and help.
  • We're counting on at least fifty guests, so we've booked a bigger room.
  • Don't count on the trains running on time during the holidays.

What changed

First versionI was calculating on your help with the move this weekend.

RevisionI was counting on your help with the move this weekend.

Calculate is about working something out with numbers: calculate the cost. Relying on someone's help is a different idea, and English uses count on for it: count on your help. Here it's about hope, not numbers, so calculating is replaced with counting.

Cambridge Dictionary

Rely on and depend on also mean trusting someone or something. But depend on has another meaning, be decided by: The price depends on the season. Count on isn't used in that sense; it's always about hope and expectation.

Your turn

The company is losing money, so don't ___ a pay rise this year.

(count on / hope on)

Show the answer

count on — The company is losing money, so the advice is not to plan on a pay rise: don't count on. Hope on isn't used in English: hope goes with for (hope for a pay rise).

Write about someone you can always rely on. Say who it is and describe a time they helped you.

I can always count on my old friend Katya: last winter she drove two hours to help me move to a new flat.

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