Let’s Talk About What You Can Do Now and What You Could Do as a Child!

Hello everyone! Today, we’re going to learn about how to talk about your present and childhood abilities in English. This is super useful for everyday conversations. We’ll focus on using the words “can” and “could“. Understanding present and childhood abilities is a key part of basic English grammar, and it will really help you improve your spoken English practice.

What are Present Abilities?

When we talk about present abilities, we are talking about things you are able to do now. We use the word “can” to express these abilities. Think about things you know how to do, things you are good at, or things you are allowed to do right now. For example:

I can swim. (This means you know how to swim and you are able to swim now.)
She can speak English. (She has the ability to speak English in the present.)
They can play the guitar. (They have the skill to play the guitar now.)

Using “can” is a simple and direct way to talk about your skills and what you are capable of doing in the present moment. This is essential English for beginners, and it’s a great starting point to learn English vocabulary related to abilities.

How to Talk About Present Abilities Using “Can”

Let’s break down how to use “can” in different types of sentences.

Positive Sentences

In positive sentences, we use this simple structure:

Subject + can + verb (base form) + …

Here are some more examples:

I can ride a bike.
He can cook delicious pasta.
We can see the mountains from our window.
You can learn English online.
My dog can catch a ball.

Remember, the verb after “can” is always in its base form (the simple form of the verb, like ‘swim’, ‘speak’, ‘play’, ‘ride’, ‘cook’, ‘see’, ‘learn’, ‘catch’).

Negative Sentences

To make a negative sentence with “can“, we add “not” after “can“. We often use the contraction “can’t” (cannot) in spoken and informal written English.

Subject + cannot / can’t + verb (base form) + …

Examples:

I cannot / can’t fly. (Unfortunately, humans can’t fly without help!)
She cannot / can’t drive a car yet. (She hasn’t learned to drive yet.)
They cannot / can’t hear you very well. (Maybe you need to speak louder.)
We cannot / can’t go to the park today because it’s raining.
You cannot / can’t eat all the cake! (Maybe share some?)

Using “can’t” is a very common part of everyday spoken English practice. Make sure you practice saying it!

Questions

To ask questions about present abilities, we put “Can” at the beginning of the sentence, before the subject.

Can + Subject + verb (base form) + …?

Examples:

Can you help me?
Can she sing?
Can they come to the party?
Can we go home now?
Can I borrow your pen?

When someone asks you a question with “Can“, you can give short answers:

Can you swim? – Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.
Can she speak French? – Yes, she can. / No, she can’t.

What are Childhood Abilities?

Now, let’s talk about childhood abilities. These are things you were able to do when you were younger, especially when you were a child. We use the word “could” to talk about these past abilities. Think about skills you had when you were little, or things you were able to do at a certain point in your childhood. Understanding “could” is important for building your basic English grammar knowledge.

For example:

I could climb trees when I was a child. (This means you had the ability to climb trees in the past, when you were younger.)
She could ride a bicycle at age five. (She learned to ride a bike very young.)
They could speak Italian fluently before they moved to England. (They used to speak Italian well in the past.)

“Could” helps us talk about past skills and capabilities. It’s a useful word to expand your English vocabulary and talk about your past.

How to Talk About Childhood Abilities Using “Could”

Just like “can“, “could” also has its own sentence structures.

Positive Sentences

The structure for positive sentences with “could” is:

Subject + could + verb (base form) + …

More examples:

I could run very fast when I was younger.
He could play the piano beautifully as a child.
We could visit our grandparents every summer.
You could always make me laugh when we were kids.
My brother could draw amazing pictures when he was little.

Negative Sentences

To make negative sentences, we add “not” after “could“. We often use the contraction “couldn’t” (could not).

Subject + could not / couldn’t + verb (base form) + …

Examples:

I could not / couldn’t swim until I was ten years old.
She could not / couldn’t eat spicy food when she was a child.
They could not / couldn’t stay up late on school nights.
We could not / couldn’t afford a new car last year.
You could not / couldn’t always get what you wanted as a child!

Questions

To ask questions about childhood abilities, we start the sentence with “Could“.

Could + Subject + verb (base form) + …?

Examples:

Could you ride a horse when you were young?
Could she play any sports as a child?
Could they speak English when they were little?
Could we go to the beach every day in the summer?
Could I have ice cream after dinner when I was a child?

Short answers to questions with “Could” are:

Could you ride a bike when you were young? – Yes, I could. / No, I couldn’t.
Could she sing well as a child? – Yes, she could. / No, she couldn’t.

“Can” vs “Could”: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between “can” and “could” is time. “Can” is for present abilities – what you are able to do now. “Could” is for childhood abilities or past abilities – what you were able to do in the past. Understanding this difference is crucial for English grammar.

Let’s look at some examples to make it clearer:

Present: I can play tennis now. (I have the ability to play tennis at this time.)
Past: I could play tennis when I was younger. (I had the ability to play tennis in the past, when I was younger, but maybe not now.)

Present: She can speak Spanish fluently. (She speaks Spanish fluently right now.)
Past: She could speak Spanish fluently when she lived in Spain. (She spoke Spanish fluently in the past, when she lived in Spain. Maybe she doesn’t anymore.)

So, remember: can = now, could = past!

Let’s Practice!

Now it’s time to practice what you’ve learned about present and childhood abilities! Fill in the blanks with “can” or “could“.

Fill in the Blanks

When I was young, I ___ climb trees very easily.
___ you speak English? Yes, I ___.
My grandfather ___ still read without glasses when he was 70!
Sorry, I ___ help you right now, I’m busy.
___ you play any musical instruments? No, I ___.
She ___ run a marathon last year. She trained very hard.
They ___ come to our party tomorrow because they are on holiday.
When we were kids, we ___ spend hours playing in the park.
___ he fix my computer? I don’t know if he has the skills.
I wish I ___ fly like a bird!

Answer Key

When I was young, I could climb trees very easily.
Can you speak English? Yes, I can.
My grandfather could still read without glasses when he was 70!
Sorry, I can’t help you right now, I’m busy.
Can you play any musical instruments? No, I can’t.
She could run a marathon last year. She trained very hard.
They can’t come to our party tomorrow because they are on holiday.
When we were kids, we could spend hours playing in the park.
Can he fix my computer? I don’t know if he has the skills.
I wish I could fly like a bird!

Practice Speaking with Lingofrnd!

Great job! You’ve learned how to talk about your present and childhood abilities using “can” and “could“. The best way to improve is to practice speaking! Do you want to practice using “can” and “could” in conversations? Lingofrnd.com is your AI spoken English teacher! You can practice these phrases and improve your spoken English practice and English pronunciation tips.

Download the Lingofrnd app today and start speaking English with AI! It’s a fun and effective way to improve English vocabulary and build your confidence.

Lingofrnd.com – Your AI Spoken English Teacher
Download App