When we talk about ability in the present, we normally use can (I can speak English). In the past, however, can takes on many forms including could, couldn’t, could have, and able to.

✅ Could

We use could to talk about general abilities in the past.

Ex: I could speak English before I spoke French.

✅ Able to

We use able to to talk about ability in one moment in the past.

Ex: We were able to see him before he left for Germany!

✅ When we talk about a moment in the past when something wasn’t possible, we can use wasn’t/ weren’t able to, or couldn’t.

Ex: We couldn't see him before he left for Germany!

✅ Could have

We use could have to talk about things that were possible in the past, but didn’t happen.

Ex: I could have seen him before he left, but I didn’t want to. 

Let’s practice!

Complete the following sentences with could / able to / couldn’t / could have.

1. Charlotte ________________________ take a taxi and got to the party on time.

2. I _________________________ find a parking spot anywhere!

3. _______________________ you dance when you were young?

4. They _____________________ get to the meeting on time yesterday because the traffic was terrible.

5. He _________________ arrive at the restaurant on time, even after missing the bus, so he was very happy.

We hope this lesson has been helpful for you.

Schedule a lesson today to practice with our native speaker tutors. Use the code LIMLAUNCH to get a 50% discount!