Can, could and be able to: talking about ability
avoid use be able to
if we talk about single achievement, rather than a general ability in the past, we usually use be able to rather than could.
Can and could: talking about possibility
theoretical possibility of something happening we use could, not can
We use can to indicate that there is a very real possibility of a future event happening. Using could suggests that something is less likely or that there is some doubt about it.
Could and be allowed to: talking about permission
avoid use be able to
- when we talk about something that is happening as we speak
- before passive
- when the meaning is "know how to"
if we talk about single achievement, rather than a general ability in the past, we usually use be able to rather than could.
Can and could: talking about possibility
theoretical possibility of something happening we use could, not can
We use can to indicate that there is a very real possibility of a future event happening. Using could suggests that something is less likely or that there is some doubt about it.
Could and be allowed to: talking about permission
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