Hello!
Welcome to Learn British English Free - the YouTube channel.
My name is Chris.
This is a lesson about a grammar topic.
I want to explain somethings about 'can', 'could' and 'to be able to'.
Sometimes these things are the same, sometimes they are different.
I want to explain some of the similarities and differences
for you today.
Please use the subtitles or captions to understand me more.
Or read the notes in the description on YouTube.
You might understand more like that.
Let's start with 'can'.
Can is a modal verb in English - a special type of verb
to do with possibility; permission - these are important topics for 'can'.
I can do it.
This is my ability:
I can speak English.
I can teach English.
I can't do it or I cannot do it - that's a negative version.
On thing about these words is what time period can we use them in?
'Can' is not possible in the past.
I can't say:
Yesterday, I can go to bed early.
- it doesn't work.
I need 'could'.
I will explain more later.
We can use 'can' for permission and asking questions:
Can I go out?
(I ask for permission)
Take care - you can't smoke here.
This is an instruction; also an obligation.
You can't smoke here - it's not allowed.
It's like 'must not' in the negative way.
You can't smoke here.
I can speak three languages.
I can't speak three languages.
Maybe I can speak two, but not three.
I can't speak three languages.
(I don't have the ability.)
We can use 'can' to explain something in the future
in terms of our ideas or what is possible in the future:
I can see you tomorrow.
(Tomorrow I have the ability to see you - it's possible now...
tomorrow, we will see.)
Time for 'could':
could
It's a modal verb as well - like 'can'.
I could come.
In the negative: I couldn't come or I could not come.
Now 'could' - one way we can use it - is in the past: it means 'can' in the past.
Yesterday, I could go to bed early.
It's just the past form of 'can'.
That's one thing about 'could'.
It is more polite than 'can' as well, when we use it for questions.
Could you do that outside, please?
(It's a little bit more polite than can)
Can you do that outside?
Could you do that outside, please?
(I add 'please' to make it even more polite of course.)
Again, we can use could with a future meaning:
I could come tomorrow.
(Now it seems possible; tomorrow, we will see.)
But now, I could come tomorrow.
And, an extra meaning, more complicated:
sometimes we say could not or couldn't when we explain something we don't want to do:
I couldn't make fun of him.
It means I really don't want to make jokes about him.
An extra meaning of 'could' there.
Now: to be able to
- this is not a modal verb and it's not so common as 'can' or 'could'
because it is longer; we are lazy, we prefer the short words to use can.
Able -> ability; able -> ability (same meaning).
I have the ability (noun) to do something; I am able (adj.) to do it
or: I'm able to do it.
I'm able to see him now
or: I'm not able to see him now (positive / negative).
We can use it in the future with 'will':
I will be able to come tomorrow.
This way it's more useful - we can't say: I will can come tomorrow,
but we can use be able to: I will be able to come tomorrow.
I won't be able to come tomorrow.
(Negative.)
We can use it with past forms as well:
Like: I was able to do that when I was younger.
I used to be able to do that.
We can't use can and could in those structures.
Those conclude the ideas that I wanted to talk about.
Can; could; to be able to.
It is more confusing; there are more meanings than what I have explained here.
Please look in the description on YouTube - at the bottom.
Three websites: you can click on the links, you can read more about the same things,
the different things, with these three verbs or verb forms.
I hope this helped.
Please write comments.
Ask questions.
Tell me: is this good or bad?
And write some examples using can, can't, could, couldn't, able to, not able to;
I want to read them.
Thank you very much.
My name is Chris; I'm the English teacher on Learn British English Free on YouTube.
I also publish free lessons on Learn British English on Facebook.
The website is: www.learnbritishenglish.co.uk/
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Everyone is welcome.
Thanks again for watching; it's very nice of you.
I will see you soon.
Goodbye.