We use can’t to talk about impossibilities or inabilities. However, we often use can’t to exaggerate emotions. Not only can they seem like exaggerations but total contradictions! For example...
If you say I can’t look! This does not mean that physically you are unable to look (as if you lost your glasses, the sun’s in your eyes, or you’re blindfolded), but you do not want to look because you find what you’re looking at to be unpleasant or disgusting. And often, even though you feel this way, morbid curiosity might gets the best of [1] you, and you end up looking anyhow!
I can’t live without you! is typically said by someone is who is infatuated [2] with another person, or madly in love with them. But unless you are a dependent child, we can live without another person, even if our heart really aches when we think about the person we love leaving or has already left us!
Saying I can’t help it! [3] doesn't mean you can't give assistance [4], it means you can't stop yourself from doing something! Even if you want to stop, you feel it’s out of your control. This is the case when we have a bad habit or addiction. This is a typical response to demands like: Don’t eat anymore cookies! Stop biting your nails! You know, smoking is bad for you!
Or take the case of I can’t stand it! [5] which doesn't mean you can't keep something / someone on its / their feet. It means something or somebody really annoys you! You say this for the straw that broke the camel’s back [6]; in other words, when you are totally fed up with [7] a situation or a person. I can’t stand when that happens! She can’t stand listening to your excuses! We can’t stand my boss, he’s totally unreasonable!
I can’t wait! could mean that you are unable to wait because you need to be somewhere else. But when we exaggerate, I can’t wait! [8] means you are very impatient to do something or for something to happen, and you have no choice but actually wait! You have to wait whether you like it or not! He can’t wait to see his girlfriend this weekend! I can’t wait for vacation!
[1] sobrepone, [2] encaprichado, [3] no puedo evitar hacerlo, [4] ayuda, [5] no lo soporto, [6] la gota de agua que colmó el vaso, [7] harto de, [8] estoy deseando que
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