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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)
Present and future. Can and be able to can express present and future ability: Tom can play the piano. We can't enter this street because it's blocked. I am not able to help you at the moment. If you ask him, he can probably help you. I will probably be able to get there by 9.
Los modal verbs of ability son un tipo de verbos modales que se utilizan principalmente para expresar la habilidad o posibilidad que tiene alguien de realizar un acción. Estos verbos modales son can, could y be able to. En español equivaldría a poder, saber y ser capaz de. Samuel can speak four languages.
We will specifically learn how to express abilities in the present, past, and future tenses. We’ll also dissect useful phrases that convey your capabilities, offering insights into expressing yourself confidently across various situations.
1. Modals for Ability. Let’s start with expressing ability! We use can, be able to and could to show that someone has (or doesn’t have) an ability to do something. Look at these examples: Did you notice that the verbs after “can/could/be able to” are always in the simple form? For example:
In this context, which is describing ability, 'can' is the present form and describes his ability now. 'Could' is the past form and describes his ability in the past. We would probably use 'could' if the person is no longer alive, for example, or has forgotten the languages for some reason.
The most common way to express an ability to do something is with the verb can. Can is a modal verb and is only used in the present and simple past tense. Can is also used to indicate possibility and permission. Could is another form of can. It has two meanings: It is the past tense of can.
