Modal Verbs for Ability

There are three main verbs we use to talk about ability: can, could and be able to.

When we talk about ability, we divide ability into two parts:

  1. A general ability – reading, swimming, riding a bike, speaking a foreign language.
  2. A specific ability – something you can or can’t do in a specific situation – find somewhere you are looking for, help someone.

To talk about general and specific ability in the present, we use can and be able to:

I can swim.

I’m able to swim.

Able to is more formal than can.

To talk about general ability in the past, we use could:

I could read when I was four.

To talk about specific ability in the past, we use was able to/could/couldn’t:

I was able to open the window.

I could open the window.

I couldn’t open the window.

To talk about general and specific ability in the future, we CANNOT say: will+can. We say: will (not) + be able to.

I won’t be able to come.

Could have

To talk about an ability someone had in the past, but didn’t use, we use: could have + past participle.

I could have helped him but I didn’t want to. (I could have helped him but I didn’t want to so I didn’t help him.)

Click on the links below to learn more about modal verbs

Introduction

Modal Verbs for Prohibition

Modals for Permission

Modals for Offers and Requests

Modals for Suggestions and Advice

Modal Verbs for Prediction

Modals for deduction and supposition – Present

Modals for deduction and supposition – Past

Modal Verbs for Obligation and Necessity

Past Modals