📝 Instructions for the Activity

In this activity, you will explore vocabulary through interactive flashcards.

Each card includes:

🎧 An audio clip – Listen carefully to hear the correct pronunciation.
🧠 A sentence – Read a simple sentence that uses the word in context.
🔍 Grammar breakdown – See how each word functions in the sentence.
❓ Comprehension questions – Test your understanding of meaning and usage.

👉 Use the audio to repeat and practice your pronunciation.
👉 Check the breakdown to understand how the sentence is built.
👉 Answer the questions to make sure you really understand the sentence.

At the end of the activity, you’ll be able to review your answers and see explanations to help you improve.

💪 Take your time, explore each card, and enjoy learning step by step.
Let’s go!

📚 Vocabulary Focus: “Can”, “Could”, and “Be Able To”

These three expressions are essential in English. They all relate to ability, possibility, or permission, but each one is used in different ways depending on time and formality.

Let’s break them down:

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🔹 1. “Can” – Present Ability, Permission, or Possibility

Meaning:
“Can” is a modal verb used to talk about:

• ✅ Ability (now or generally)
  I can swim. → I know how to swim.
• ✅ Permission (informal)
  Can I use your phone? → Asking in a casual way.
• ✅ Possibility (general truth)
  It can get cold in winter. → It sometimes happens.

Structure Tips:

• “Can” never changes form (❌ no “cans”).
• Use with the base verb (no “to”): can go, can eat.
• For past or future, we use other forms.

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🔹 2. “Could” – Past Ability or Hypothetical Possibility

Meaning:
“Could” is used to talk about:

• 🔁 Ability in the past
  She could dance when she was young.
• 🔮 Possibility in the future or present (less certain)
  It could rain later.
• 🙏 Polite permission or request
  Could I leave early today?
• 💭 Hypothetical or conditional situations
  If I had time, I could help.
• ⏳ Unrealized possibility in the past (with have + past participle)
  He could have helped us. → But he didn’t.

Structure Tips:

• Use with base verb: could play, could travel.
• For actions that did happen in the past (especially difficult ones), prefer “was able to”.

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🔹 3. “Be able to” – Ability in Any Tense

Meaning:
“Be able to” is a phrase that works like a modal but can be used in any verb tense.

Use it when:

• You need ability in past, future, or perfect tenses
• You want a more formal tone than “can”

Examples:

• She is able to solve the problem. (present)
• He was able to finish on time. (past)
• They will be able to travel next year. (future)
• I would be able to help if I had time. (conditional)

Structure Tips:

• “Be” changes with the subject and tense: am able, was able, will be able.
• Followed by “to” + base verb: able to swim, able to fix.

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🔁 Key Differences at a Glance:

Function	Can	Could	Be able to
Present Ability	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Yes
Past Ability	❌ No	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Future Ability	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes
Permission	✅ Informal	✅ Polite/formal	❌ Rarely used
Possibility	✅ General	✅ Less certain	❌ Not commonly used
All verb tenses	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes

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🧠 Useful Tips

• Don’t say “cans” or “coulds” – modals don’t change form.
• After “can” and “could”, use the base verb: can help, could go.
• “Be able to” is best for flexibility across tenses.
• Use “could” for polite or hypothetical language.
• Use “was able to” when you succeeded at something specific in the past: She was able to finish the race.

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✅ When to Use Each:

Use “be able to” when grammar requires a full verb phrase (especially in perfect, future, or conditional tenses).

Use “can” for general abilities, casual permission, or things that are generally possible.

Use “could” for past abilities, polite requests, and hypothetical possibilities.