When we talk about ability, we mean two things.

First, we mean general ability. This is something that once you have learned
you can do any time you want, like being able to read or swim or speak a
language, for example.

The other kind of ability is specific ability. This mean something that you can
or can't do in one particular situation. For example, being able to lift something
heavy, or find somewhere you are looking for.

Present:
can / can't (for both general and specific ability)

 I can play the piano.

 She can speak English.
 He can't drive – he's too tired.
 We can't come now.

Past:
could / couldn't (for general ability)

 I could read when I was four.

 She could speak French when she was a child, but now she has forgotten it.
 He couldn't dance at all until he took lessons.
 My grandfather couldn't swim.

was able to / couldn't (for specific ability)

 When the computer crashed yesterday, I was able to fix it.(not 'I could fix it')
 She was able to pass the exam, even though she hadn't studied much.(not 'she
could pass')
 He called us because he couldn't find the house.
 I couldn't open the window.

could + have + past participle (an ability someone had in the past,
but didn't use)

 I could have played the piano well but I didn't practise enough.
 We could have come earlier.
 She could have studied law, but she preferred to become a secretary.

Future:
will / won't be able to (general ability)

 At the end of the course, you will be able to make your own website.
 He won't be able to speak Japanese in a week! It will take months.

can / can't (specific ability)

 I can help you tomorrow

 I can't come to the party.
 Cuando hablamos de habilidad, nos referimos a dos cosas.

Primero, nos referimos a la habilidad general . Esto es algo que, una vez que
ha aprendido, puede hacer lo que quiera, como leer o nadar o hablar un idioma,
por ejemplo.

El otro tipo de habilidad es la habilidad específica . Esto significa algo que

puedes o no puedes hacer en una situación particular. Por ejemplo, ser capaz de
levantar algo pesado, o encontrar un lugar que está buscando.

Presente:
puede / no puede (tanto para la capacidad general y específica)

 Puedo tocar el piano.

 Ella puede hablar Ingles.
 Él no puede conducir, está demasiado cansado.
 No podemos venir ahora.

Pasado:
could / could not (para la habilidad general)

 Podía leer cuando tenía cuatro años.

 Ella podía hablar francés cuando era niña, pero ahora lo ha olvidado.
 No podía bailar hasta que tomó lecciones.
 Mi abuelo no pudo nadar

Pudo / no pudo (por habilidad específica)

 Cuando la computadora se bloqueó ayer, pude arreglarlo. (No 'Podría arreglarlo')

 Pudo aprobar el examen, aunque no había estudiado mucho (no "podía pasar").
 Nos llamó porque no pudo encontrar la casa.
 No pude abrir la ventana.

podría + tener + participio pasado (una habilidad que alguien tuvo en el

pasado, pero que no usó)

 Podría haber tocado bien el piano, pero no practiqué lo suficiente.

 Podríamos haber venido antes.
 Podría haber estudiado derecho, pero prefirió convertirse en secretaria.

Futuro:
será / no podrá (habilidad general)

 Al final del curso, podrás crear tu propio sitio web.

 ¡No podrá hablar japonés en una semana! Tomará meses.

puede / no puede (habilidad específica)

 Puedo ayudarte mañana

 No puedo ir a la fiesta
 Quick Notes

Using Can

Use can:

 1. To talk about abilities in the present or future.

 She can speak Spanish very well.

 Can you come with us on Saturday?

Using Be Able To

Use be able to:

 1. To talk about abilities when no form of can exists, for example in the present perfect.
 2. To talk about an ability in a specific situation or at a specific moment in the past.
 3. Instead of can in formal English.

 He’s been able to swim since he was two years old.

 The traffic was really bad, but we were able to catch our train.

Using Could

Use could:

 1. To talk about general abilities in the past.

 2. To talk about specific abilities in the past in a negative sentence.
 3. To talk about a hypothetical ability in the past, present or future.

 I could run much faster when I was younger.

 It was hard work, and we couldn’t finish everything on time.
 I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to.

Read the Full Script

1. How to Use Can and Could to Talk about Ability

You can use can to talk about abilities in the present or the future:

 She can speak Spanish very well

 Can you come with us on Saturday?

You can use could to talk about general abilities in the past:

 I could run much faster when I was younger. = Any time I wanted.
 She could play the violin when she was a child. = She had this ability for a period of
time.

This is quite simple, and I’m sure you’re familiar with this. However, there are
many situations where you cannot use can or could to talk about abilities, and
we need to use a different verb.
 2. How to Use Can and Be Able To

Can and be able to have the same meaning, so you can usually use either verb
without any difference in meaning:

 She can speak Spanish very well. = She’s able to speak Spanish very well.
 I could run much faster when I was younger. = I was able to run much faster when I
was younger.

However, can and could can’t be used in all verb tenses. If you want to use
the present perfect (for example), there’s no way to use can or could, so you
need to use be able to:

 He’s been able to swim since he was two years old. –> There’s no way to
use can or could in this sentence and keep the same meaning.

 I like being able to choose my own working hours. –> After like we need a verb with -
ing, so we need to use be able to—there’s no way to use can or could.

There are many cases like this. Generally, if you have a choice, it’s better to
use can/could, because it makes your sentence simpler.

We sometimes choose to use be able to, even when can/could are possible,
because it sounds more formal.

3. How To Use Could and Be Able To to Talk about Ability in the Past

Look at an example sentence:

 The traffic was really bad, but we could catch our train.

Does it sound right to you? If not, you’re right—the sentence is not correct.

Do you know why?

The answer is: this sentence is talking about a specific ability in the past.

In this sentence, we’re talking about a specific situation at a specific time. In this
case, you can’t use could, we need to use a different verb.

You could say:

 The traffic was really bad, but we were able to catch our train.
 The traffic was really bad, but we managed to catch our train.

To talk about an ability in a specific situation in the past, use was/were able
to or managed to. For example:

 It was hard work, but we managed to finish everything on time. –> We finished
something specific, at a specific moment.

 Our car broke down on the way, but luckily I was able to fix it. –> I fixed it at a specific
moment.

You can’t use could in these sentences.

 There’s another complication here: this difference between general and specific
situations only applies to positive sentences.

In negative sentences, there’s no difference between could and be able to,

whether the situation is general or specific:

 It was hard work, and we couldn’t finish everything on time.

 It was hard work, and we weren’t able to finish everything on time.

Even though this is a specific situation, we can use could because the sentence
is negative.

So, to sum up, can/could and be able to generally have the same
meaning, unless you are talking about a specific situation in the past, and the
sentence is positive.

If you’re not sure about this, remember that you can use be able to in all of
these sentences, and never be wrong.

4. The Two Meanings of Could

Look at two sentences:

 I couldn’t help you because I had too much to do.

 I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to.

In these sentences, the verb could is used in different ways.

Can you see the difference?

Here’s a question to check your understanding: how could you use be able to in
these two sentences?

 I wasn’t able to help you because I had too much to do.

 I wouldn’t be able to help you even if I wanted to.

So could can have two meanings: a past meaning, and a hypothetical meaning.
You need to use the context of the sentence or the situation to understand
what could means. For example:

 Why couldn’t he do it last week? –> the time marker last week shows you
that could has a past meaning.

 We could work together if you wanted –> the end of the sentence …if you
wanted shows you that could has a hypothetical meaning.

5. Review

Let’s review the main points from the lesson:

 You can use can or could to talk about abilities in the past, present or future.

 Can/could and be able to usually have the same meaning. Sometimes, you need to
use be able to, for example if you need to use a verb with -ing, or if you need to use the
present perfect tense.
 In the past, could and was/were able to are sometimes different. If you are talking
about a specific situation, and the sentence is positive, you can only use was/were able
to (or managed to).

 Could can have two meanings: past (same as was/were able to) or hypothetical (same
as would be able to).