Ability

I) In the present :

Ali can lift weight Yacine can’t lift weight

Ali is able to lift weight Yacine isn’t able to lift weight

We use can to say that somebody has the capacity to do something. The difference
beween can and to be able to is that can is generally used in speaking whereas to be able
to is more formal.

Can= ‫يستطيع أن‬

Postive form Negative form

I can swim I cannot swim

I am able to swim I am not able to swim

She/he/it is able to swim she/he/it is not able to swim

You/they/we are able to swim you/they/we are not able to swim

N.B after can /to be able to the verb isn’t conjugated (stem)

can /to be able ‫الفعل ال يصرف بعد‬

Acitivity one :
 II) In the past could and was/were be able to

I could play soccor when I was young

a) We use could for genral ability when somebody used to have the
capacity to do something in the past.
- We can replace was/were able to with could.
. ‫ تستعمل عندما نتكلم عن شخص كان باستطاعته فعل شيء ما في الماضي‬Could

.‫ في هذه الحالة‬was/were able to ‫نستطيع استبدالها ب‬

e.g I could swim when I was young.

Postive form Negative form

I could swim I could not swim

I was able to swim I was not able to swim

She/he/it was able to swim she/he/it was not able to swim

You/they/we were able to swim you/they/we were not able to swim

b) We use was/were able to when we want to talk about a specific situation which was
very difficult in the past but you were able to make it.
- We can’t use could here.
 .‫ تستعمل عندما نكون في مشكلة جد صعبة و لكننا ننجح في حلها في األخير‬Was/were able to

.‫ في هذه الحالة‬could ‫ال نستطيع استبدالها ب‬

e.g I was swiming in the sea. Suddenly, I saw a big whale :o. I started swiming so fast and
ElhamduliAllah I was able to reach the beach.
Here was/were able to can be replaced with managed to or succeeded to

III) In the future

we use will be able to + stem

I will be able to teach at university if I obtain my PHd. (doctorat)