Could 'Could' can be used to talk about the past, the present or the future.

'Could' is a past form of 'can'

When I was living in Boston, I could walk to work. He phoned to say he couldn't come. I could see him clearly but I couldn't hear him and then the videoconference line went dead.

'Could' is used to make polite requests. We can also use 'can' for these but 'could' is more polite.

Could you help me, please? Could you lend me some money? Could I have a lift? Could I bother you for a moment?

If we use 'could' in reply to these requests, it suggests that we do not really want to do it. If you agree to the request, it is better to say 'can'.

Of course I can. I could help you if it's really necessary but I'm really busy right now. I could lend you some money but I'd need it back tomorrow without fail. I could give you a lift as far as Birmingham.

'Could' is used to talk about theoretical possibility and is similar in meaning to 'might'.

It could rain later. Take an umbrella. He could be there by now. Could he be any happier? It could be Sarah's.

Can, Could, Be able to

Can and could are modal auxiliary verbs. Be able to is NOT an auxiliary verb (it uses the verb be as a main verb). We include be able to here for convenience.

In this lesson we look at these three verbs, followed by a quiz to check your understanding:

Can
Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:

talk about possibility and ability make requests ask for or give permission

Structure of Can
subject + can + main verb The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").
subject + I auxiliary verb can cannot He can't ? Can you play tennis? play tennis. main verb play tennis.

Notice that:

Can is invariable. There is only one form of can. The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"). We cannot say:

Use of Can
can: Possibility and Ability

We use can to talk about what is possible, what we are able or free to do:

She can drive a car. John can speak Spanish. I cannot hear you. (I can't hear you.) Can you hear me?

Normally, we use can for the present. But it is possible to use can when we make present decisions about future ability.

A. Can you help me with my homework? (present) B. Sorry. I'm busy today. But I can help you tomorrow. (future) can: Requests and Orders

We often use can in a question to ask somebody to do something. This is not a real question - we do not really want to know if the person is able to do something, we want them to do it! The use of can in this way is informal (mainly between friends and family):

Can you make a cup of coffee, please. Can you put the TV on. Can you come here a minute. Can you be quiet!

can: Permission

We sometimes use can to ask or give permission for something:

A. Can I smoke in this room? B. You can't smoke here, but you can smoke in the garden.

(Note that we also use could, may, might for permission. The use of can for permission is informal.) Could

Could
Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:

talk about past possibility or ability make requests

Structure of Could
subject + could + main verb The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").
subject + My grandmother auxiliary verb could main verb swim.

could not She couldn't ? Could your grandmother swim? walk.

Notice that:

Could is invariable. There is only one form of could. The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive. We cannot say:

Use of Could
could: Past Possibility or Ability

We use could to talk about what was possible in the past, what we were able or free to do:

I could swim when I was 5 years old. My grandmother could speak seven languages. When we arrived home, we could not open the door. (...couldn't open the door.) Could you understand what he was saying?

We use could (positive) and couldn't (negative) for general ability in the past. But when we talk about one special occasion in the past, we use be able to (positive) and couldn't (negative). Look at these examples:
Past General My grandmother could speak Spanish. My grandmother couldn't speak Spanish. Specific Occasion A man fell into the river yesterday. The police were able to save him. A man fell into the river yesterday. The police couldn't save him.

could: Requests

We often use could in a question to ask somebody to do something. The use of could in this way is fairly polite (formal):

Could you tell me where the bank is, please? Could you send me a catalogue, please?

Be able to
Although we look at be able to here, it is not a modal verb. It is simply the verb be plus an adjective (able) followed by the infinitive. We look at be able to here because we sometimes use it instead of can and could. We use be able to:

to talk about ability

Structure of Be able to
The structure of be able to is: subject + be + able + infinitive
be main verb am is not She isn't ? Are you able to drive? able to drive. able adjective able

subject + I

infinitive to drive.

Notice that be able to is possible in all tenses, for example:

I was able to drive... I will be able to drive... I have been able to drive...

Notice too that be able to has an infinitive form:

I would like to be able to speak Chinese.

Use of Be able to
Be able to is not a modal auxiliary verb. We include it here for convenience, because it is often used like "can" and "could", which are modal auxiliary verbs. be able to: ability

We use be able to to express ability. "Able" is an adjective meaning: having the power, skill or means to do something. If we say "I am able to swim", it is like saying "I can swim". We sometimes use "be able to" instead of "can" or "could" for ability. "Be able to" is possible in all tenses - but "can" is possible only in the present and "could" is possible only in the past for ability. In addition, "can" and "could" have no infinitive form. So we use "be able to" when we want to use other tenses or the infinitive. Look at these examples:

I have been able to swim since I was five. (present perfect) You will be able to speak perfect English very soon. (future simple) I would like to be able to fly an airplane. (infinitive)

Can, Could and To Be Able To Exercise at Auto-English Circle the correct answer. Fill the gaps when youve checked your answers.

1 I ______________ remember his name. A B C am not able to

6 You'll be able to solve this, ______________? A can you won't you will you

can't B red herring C

2 Diana ______________ the piano. A B C can play

7 Sorry, Teacher. I ______________do it yet. A wasn't able to couldn't haven't been able to

can to play B eats C

3 She ______________ come on holiday next month if her parents give her permission.

8 He ______________ pass the exam if he studied harder.

A B C

can't could will be able to

A B C

will be able to can would be able to

4 They ______________ go. The weather was too bad. A B C couldn't can't

9 The fishing boat sank but luckily all the crew ______________ save themselves. A were able to could wasn't able to

wasn't able to B C

5 A: Can you lend me some money? B: Sorry. I ______________. I haven't got any either. A B can't am not able to couldn't C Answers 1B 2A 3C 4A 5A 6B 7C 8C 9A

10 We ______________ go to the party. We're going to a wedding. A B C couldn't won't be able to will can't

10B

Can, could and be able to.

Can, could, be able to We use can to say that something is possible or that somebody has the ability to do something. We use can + infinitive (can do / can see etc.): We can see the lake from our bedroom window. Can you speak any foreign languages? I can come and see you tomorrow if you like. The negative is can't (= cannot): I'm afraid I can't come to the party on Friday. (Be) able to... is possible instead of can, but can is more usual: Are you able to speak any foreign languages? But can has only two forms, can (present) and could (past). So sometimes it is necessary to use (be) able to.. Compare: I can't sleep. but I haven't been able to sleep recently, (can has no present perfect) Tom can come tomorrow, but Tom might be able to come tomorrow, (can has no infinitive) Could and was able to... Sometimes could is the past of can. We use could especially with: See/ hear/ smell/ taste/ feel/ remember/ understand When we went into the house, we could smell burning. She spoke in a very low voice, but I could understand what she said. We also use could to say that somebody had the general ability or permission to do something:

 My grandfather could speak five languages. We were completely free. We could do what we wanted. (= we were allowed to do...) We use could for general ability. But if we are talking about what happened in a particular situation, we use was/were able to... or managed to... (Not could): The fire spread through the building quickly but everybody was able to escape. or everybody managed to escape, (but not 'could escape') They didn't want to come with us at first but we managed to persuade them. or ...we were able to persuade them, (but not 'could persuade') Compare: Jack was an excellent tennis player. He could beat anybody. (= he had the general ability to beat anybody) but Jack and Alf had a game of tennis yesterday. Alf played very well but in the end Jack managed to beat him. or ...was able to beat him. (= he managed to beat him in this particular game) The negative couldn't (could not) is possible in all situations: My grandfather couldn't swim. We tried hard but we couldn't persuade them to come with us. Alf played well but he couldn't beat Jack. Complete the sentences using can , able to , or could.
RESULTS

1. George has travelled a lot. He can speak four languages. 2. I used to be able to stand on my head but I can't do it now. 3. When Tim was 16, he was a fast runner. He could run 100 metres in 11. 4. Sandra can drive but she hasn't got a car. 5. Ask Catherine about your problem. She might be able to help you. 6. I was feeling sick yesterday. I couldn't eat anything. 7. Sue wasn't at home when I phoned but I was able to contact her at her office. 8. When we went into the house, we could smell burning. 9. Will she be able to cope with the work? 10. I can't see you on Friday but I can meet you on Saturday evening.

Modals of Ability 1 - Can, Could, Be able to, May, Might

Choose the best modal for each sentence.

Click on the box beside the best answer. 1. My cat ____________ jump, but it ____________ talk. 1. can't / can 2. can / can't 2. ____________ I borrow your dictionary? 1. Am I able to 2. Might 3. May 3. Kevin was disappointed because he ____________ get tickets for the football game. 1. weren't able to 2. wasn't able to 4. Peter ____________ swim when he was a child, but now he ____________. In fact, he swims every day! 1. couldn't / can't 2. could / can't 3. couldn't / can 5. George is absent from class today. He ____________ be sick. 1. Could 2. can 3. is able to 6. The little girl asked, "Mommy, ____________ I have a cookie?" The mother said, "Yes, you ____________." 1. may / might 2. can / are able to 3. can / can 7. She ____________ understand Korean very well, but she ____________ speak it perfectly. 1. is able to / is able to 2. is able to / cannot 3. be able to / cannot 8. ____________ dogs fly? No, of course not! 1. Do can 2. Can 3. May 9. The family can't decide where to go on vacation. They ____________ go to Los Angeles or they ____________ go to Hawaii. 1. could / couldn't 2. may / are able to 3. might / may 10. When Vera was young, she ____________ type quickly. She took a typing class and now she ____________ type very quickly! 1. could not / can 2. could not / can to

3. can / could 11. I'm going to bring an umbrella today because it ____________ rain. 1. can 2. might 3. is able to 12. Sara ____________ Italian food and she ____________ French food too! 1. can cooks / can cooks 2. can cook / is able to cook 3. can cooking / can cooking 13. ____________ you play the piano when you were a child? 1. Can 2. Could 3. May

Modals of Ability 2 - Can, Could, Be able to, May, Might

Use the best modal to complete each sentence; use a negative form when necessary. Correct! Well done. Your score is: 86%. 1. May I borrow your pencil? Thanks! 2. James and Sara were so sad because they couldn't go to their brother's wedding. They were too sick. 3. The students couldn't understand the instructions for the test yesterday, so many of them failed. 4. A: We have a big problem. What can we do? B: I don't know. Maybe we can ask our boss for help. 5. When Tina was a child, she could speak three languages: French, Arabic and English. She rarely practiced French, so she can't speak it anymore. 6. I'm sorry. I can't hear you. Please speak more loudly. 7. My little brother can play piano and guitar. 8. Excuse me. could I ask you a question? 9. A: What are you going to do on the weekend? B: I'm not sure yet. We might go to a movie or we might stay home and relax. 10. I might not go to school tomorrow because I'm feeling sick right now. I'm not sure.