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.

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
The basic structure for can is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

Aguirre + can + speak Quechua

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to).

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ I can play tennis.

cannot
- Calle play tennis.
can't

? Can you play tennis?

Notice that:

Can is invariable. There is only one form: can

The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to). We cannot say: I can
to play tennis.
Use of can

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

talk about past possibility or ability

make requests
Structure of could
subject + auxiliary verb could + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to).

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ My grandmother could swim.

could not
- She walk.
couldn't

? Could your grandmother swim?

Could is invariable. There is only one form: could

Notice that:
The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without to). We cannot say:
I could to play tennis.

Use of could
could for 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 I (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 specific occasion

+ My grandmother could speak Spanish. A man fell into the river yesterday. The police were able to save him.

- My grandmother couldn't speak Spanish. A man fell into the river yesterday. The police couldn't to save him.
 could for 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 basic structure for be able to is:

subject + be + able + to-infinitive

subject main verb adjective to-infinitive

(be) (able)

+ I am able to drive.

is not
- She able to drive.
isn't

? Are you able 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 for 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)

“Managed to.”

- When we are talking about a specific situation or when noting a specific achievement, we must
use “was (or) were able to” or “managed to.” Their meanings are very close.

- We do not use “could.”

Read these examples:

- We were able to get a really good price on the car.

- We managed to get a really good price on the car.

- I was able to persuade her to volunteer at the show.

- I managed to persuade her to volunteer at the show.

- Now let’s talk more about the meanings. “Was (or) were able to” and “managed to” both suggest effort.

- They mean someone succeeded in doing something that was a challenge or took a special effort.

- However, the phrase “managed to” puts a little more emphasis on how hard the challenge was or

how much effort it took.

 Exception to the rule

We konw that we use “could” for general abilities. But there are two kinds of verbs where we also

use “could” for specific occasions.

With sense verbs, such as “smell” and “taste,” and thought process verbs, such as “believe” “decide” and

“understand,” we usually use “could” even when talking about specific occasions.

Read these two examples of what I mean:

- I walked past a market today and could smell the freshly baked bread.

- We couldn’t decide what to get for his birthday so we bought a gift card.

Note that the second example uses the negative form -- “couldn’t.”

EXERCICES:

1. _____ he understand what you were talking about?

a) Could b) Cans c) Coulded
2. My sister _____ play tennis now.
a) can to b) can c) will can
3. I _____ walk when I was less than a year old.
a) can b) could c) have can
4. (Polite) _____ you tell me what time it is, please?
a) Could b) Can c) Will
5. My grandfather ________ walk without any help last night

a) can b) could c) was able to

6. I would like to ________ play the piano.
a) can b) could c) be able to
7. How long have you ________ drive?
a) can b) coulded c) been able to
8. I'll ________ help you later.
a) can b) could c) be able to
9. Can you help me? I ________ never understand this.
a) can b) cannot c) am able to
10. Will people ________ live forever one day?
a) could be b) be able to c) could be able to
 'They can survive without water...'

Survival in tough times

There are some amazing animals in the world. Some, like camels are able to survive in extreme conditions,
like the heat of the desert. They can go for days without drinking water.And there are plenty of tough
humans too. Traditional bushmen in the Kalahari Desert are able to thrive and make the desert their home.
The skills passed down over the generations mean that they can do
all sorts of things - like lighting fires without matches!

A few remarkable people have survived the toughest situations imaginable.

Like Mauro Prosperi, the Italian athlete who got lost in the Sahara desert and couldn't find his way out.
He managed to keep going for 12 days by drinking urine and bat's blood.

When you're talking about surviving and dealing with tough situations, the phrases can,
be able to and manage to are very useful. In this session you'll look at the grammar of these
phrases and find out how to talk about surviving the desert!

1) I couldn’t find the way out of the forest, but the guide ______ help me.
A could B was able to C can
2) It was a very difficult climb, but she ______ reach the top of the mountain.
A could B managed to c) Can
3) By 3300 BC, people in Mesopotamia ______ write by using pictures.
A can B were able to
4) Camels ______ survive for long periods without water.
A can B could C managed to
5)Mika ______ finish the race in less than 2 hours - a personal best!
A managed to B could C manage to
6)I don't speak their language, so we ______ communicate very well.
A can B could C couldn't