Grammar: A2 - ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: 🎭 Modals (Introduction) - Lesson 3: Modal "could/couldn't" (Past ability - basic: When I was young, I could...)

Grammar: Modals of Past Ability A2 Lesson 18: Using 'Could' & 'Couldn't' What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use "could" and "couldn't" to talk about skills and abilities you had in the past. Talking About Past Abilities We use can and can't to talk about what we are able to do now. To talk about abilities in the past, we use could and couldn't . 'Could' is simply the past tense of 'can'. When I was a child, I could climb trees. My grandfather could speak French when he was young. I couldn't swim when I was five years old. The Grammar Rule 📖 Present vs. Past Ability Tense Modal Verb Example Present Ability (Now) can / can't I can drive a car now. Past Ability could / couldn't I couldn't drive a car when I was 16. Asking Questions To ask a question about a past ability, the structure is: Could + Subject + Verb? Sokha: Could you swim in the river when you were a boy? Vannak: Yes, I coul…