Podcast
Questions and Answers
I ______ swim when I was four.
I ______ swim when I was four.
could
She ______ ride a bike when she was three.
She ______ ride a bike when she was three.
couldn't
He ______ walk when he was two.
He ______ walk when he was two.
could
Could you ______ chess last year?
Could you ______ chess last year?
They ______ speak English before they went to school.
They ______ speak English before they went to school.
Flashcards
Past ability - 'could'
Past ability - 'could'
Used to describe a past ability or inability.
'could' structure
'could' structure
Use the infinitive form (without 'to') after 'could' and 'couldn't'.
'couldn't' use
'couldn't' use
Used for describing past inability.
Past ability question
Past ability question
To ask a question, place 'could' before the person/subject.
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'could' examples
'could' examples
Examples of using 'could' to express past ability. For examples 'I could swim' or 'She couldn't ride a bike'.
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Modals - 'Could' and 'Couldn't'
- Used to describe abilities in the past
- I could swim when I was four.
- She couldn't ride a bike when she was three.
- He could walk when he was two.
Use
- Use the infinitive without "to"
- I couldn't run when I was a baby.
- My mum couldn't swim when she was a child.
- We could read when we were five.
- They couldn't speak English before they went to school.
Questions
- Change the order of "could" and the subject for questions
- Could you play chess last year? Yes, I could.
- Could your dad drive a car when he was young? No, he couldn't.
- What could you do when you were four?
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