Level: Beginner-Intermediate
We use CAN to make general statements about what is possible:
Example:
It can be very hot here in summer. (= It is sometimes very hot here in summer.)
You can easily get lost in this city. (= People often get lost in this city.)
We also use CAN and CAN’T to talk about someone’s skill or general abilities:
Example:
He can speak two languages.
She can dance.
She can’t swim very well.
We use COULD to show that something is possible, but not certain:
Example:
They could come by bus. (= Maybe they will come by bus.)
They could be at school. (= Maybe they are at school.)
We also use COULD to mean that we were able to do something in the past.
Example:
When she was 1, she could talk.
We use COULDN’T to mean that we weren’t able to do something in the past.
Example:
When he was 1, he couldn’t walk.