ability ^^

[ctivnan]

When we talk about people's ability, we often refer to the modal, CAN and COULD.

CAN

- used in the present and future sense talks about a person's ability to do something.

e.g.
George can swim well.
Luisa cannot play the piano but Erlie can.
The government can do something about the accidents caused by road repairs.

COULD

- used in the past sense refers to people's past ability.

e.g.
Trish could swim 500 meters when she was in high school.
Decky could paint several paintings in a month.
I could drive for hours on end before the accident.

:flower2::painting::flower2:

[cmo]

What about "Could" in present tense:

Could you help me?

This mode is widely used.


:D

[ctivnan]

The use of COULD in the present tense in the example you had given refers to REQUESTING.

"Could you help me." - a polite way of requesting help from another person.

N.B.
Modals usually have more than one function. In this case, COULD can be both a past ability and used for requesting.

I hope it helps, cmo! :smilie1:

[cmo]

The use of COULD in the present tense in the example you had given refers to REQUESTING.

"Could you help me." - a polite way of requesting help from another person.

N.B.
Modals usually have more than one function. In this case, COULD can be both a past ability and used for requesting.

I hope it helps, cmo! :smilie1:



Thanks for the clarification!

:flower2: :flower2: :flower2: :flower2: :flower2: :flower2: