1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,599
When I was younger, I could
play the piano a lot better than I

2
00:00:04,719 --> 00:00:09,400
can now. You know, I'm
glad I was able to tell you that

3
00:00:10,199 --> 00:00:16,480
knowing modal verbs like can and be
able to is not only important for your

4
00:00:16,519 --> 00:00:23,120
everyday English conversation, but using this
grammar correctly, we'll give you an edge

5
00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:33,240
in English exams like ailets tofol and
took. Let's check it out. Welcome

6
00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:38,159
to another Happy English podcast, coming
to you from New York City. And

7
00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:43,000
here's your English teacher, Michael.
All right, thank you John, and

8
00:00:43,119 --> 00:00:49,359
thanks everyone. It's Michael here from
Happy English and I help people speak English

9
00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:58,479
better. This is Happy English Podcast, Episode seven fourteen, Ability and Possibility.

10
00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,120
A lot of my students who are
preparing for exams like ailts and tok

11
00:01:03,719 --> 00:01:10,159
often ask me for help with modal
verbs. Modal verbs, Eh, there

12
00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:14,920
are a lot of them, and
that makes for a pretty wide topic.

13
00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:19,560
Since modal verbs are such an important
part of English. Let's have a look,

14
00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:26,480
shall we. Today we'll dive into
the different ways we talk about ability

15
00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:33,280
and possibility with can, could,
and be able to. Let's look at

16
00:01:33,439 --> 00:01:40,799
can first. Can has a more
conversational feel and has the nuance of I

17
00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:47,079
know how to do that, or
I'm available to do that. For example,

18
00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,599
I can play the piano. In
other words, I know how to

19
00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:57,120
play the piano. I can help
you with that project. In other words,

20
00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:02,719
I'm available to help you. I
think can is one of the more

21
00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:08,840
basic modal verbs that we use in
these situations. Of course, in a

22
00:02:08,879 --> 00:02:15,719
negative sentence, cannot or can't means
I don't know how to do that,

23
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:23,319
or I'm not available to do that. For example, the boss can't use

24
00:02:23,479 --> 00:02:30,120
this software, maybe he doesn't know
how. Jack can't come to the party,

25
00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:36,439
maybe he's not available. On the
other hand, be able to is

26
00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:42,759
more formal sounding and has the nuance
of I can do that because I'm in

27
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:47,919
the right situation or the right circumstances
to do that. When we use be

28
00:02:49,039 --> 00:02:53,439
able to, we often provide more
information than we do when we use can.

29
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:59,199
Let's look at an example. I
have a piano at home now,

30
00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:04,360
so I am able to play the
piano anytime I want to. If we

31
00:03:04,479 --> 00:03:09,520
compare this to I can play the
piano. I can play the piano simply

32
00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:15,000
means I know how to do it, that's all. But I am able

33
00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:20,639
to play the piano anytime I want
because I have a piano at home now.

34
00:03:21,159 --> 00:03:25,240
The circumstance of having a piano at
home gives me the ability to play

35
00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:30,599
the piano anytime I want. Here's
another example. If you need help with

36
00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:36,039
your project, I'm not very busy
this week, so I'm able to help

37
00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:42,240
you. Speaking of ability, would
you like to be able to improve your

38
00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:47,439
score on the Ailets Exam, I'd
like to recommend the Ailets Energy Podcast.

39
00:03:47,879 --> 00:03:53,400
Taking Ailts want to make sure you
are one hundred percent ready to score your

40
00:03:53,639 --> 00:04:00,319
seven or higher. If so,
then the ai Alts Energy Podcast is for

41
00:04:00,439 --> 00:04:05,599
you. Jessica Beck was an Ailets
examiner for fourteen years, and she co

42
00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:14,840
hosts Ailet's Energy with Aubrey Carter,
The Ailets Whiz from a former examiner's perspective.

43
00:04:15,319 --> 00:04:19,879
You'll learn the smartest strategies to score
seven or higher on every session of

44
00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:26,360
the test. Plus they have two
episodes each week. This week's lessons are

45
00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:31,000
strategic idioms to use on your speaking
test that the examiner will love, and

46
00:04:31,639 --> 00:04:39,040
three Ailts listening traps that you must
avoid. Follow the Ailets Energy Podcast.

47
00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:45,399
Just type Ailt's Energy into your search
bar in your favorite listening app and he

48
00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,959
follow by the way. In a
negative sentence, you can use be not

49
00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:58,720
able to or be unable to.
For example, we don't have the item

50
00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:03,560
in stock, so we are not
able to ship this order. The boss

51
00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:11,439
is unable to attend the conference on
Thursday. Next, let's get into talking

52
00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:16,839
about ability that started in the past
and continues to the present. In cases

53
00:05:16,959 --> 00:05:23,879
like this, you can use have
been able to or haven't been able to,

54
00:05:24,199 --> 00:05:30,000
or have been unable to. There's
no way to use can or could

55
00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:35,800
in this situation. For example,
I've been able to make myself understood in

56
00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:41,680
a second language for a while.
Now, I haven't been able to find

57
00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:46,879
a good pizza shop near my new
apartment. I've been unable to reach Tommy

58
00:05:46,959 --> 00:05:53,959
since last Friday. I hope he's
okay. In a similar way, when

59
00:05:54,000 --> 00:06:00,040
you use verbs related to emotions like
enjoy, like, hate, and and

60
00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,439
so on, you can use be
able to, but not can or could.

61
00:06:05,079 --> 00:06:11,519
Here are some examples. I enjoy
being able to have this nice view

62
00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:16,560
from my window. Fred is an
uber driver. He said he loves being

63
00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:23,360
able to choose his own hours to
work. Next, let's talk about the

64
00:06:23,439 --> 00:06:30,399
difference between using be able to and
could to talk about the past. When

65
00:06:30,439 --> 00:06:35,399
you talk about possibility in one situation
in the past, you need to use

66
00:06:35,639 --> 00:06:43,199
be able to. For example,
I was able to find Jack's new apartment

67
00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:47,480
without any trouble. Were you able
to get tickets for the concert? So

68
00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:54,680
use be able to or was able
to when you talk about possibility in one

69
00:06:54,839 --> 00:07:00,240
situation in the past. But on
the other hand, when you talk talk

70
00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:05,079
about what was usually possible in the
past and not just one situation, you

71
00:07:05,199 --> 00:07:12,319
need to use could. For example, when Jenny was younger, she could

72
00:07:12,399 --> 00:07:16,839
eat a lot more than she eats
now. I remember my grandfather could play

73
00:07:16,879 --> 00:07:23,560
the piano and the saxophone. Keep
in mind, the best way to remember

74
00:07:23,639 --> 00:07:28,560
this and any other word or phrase
in English is to take that word or

75
00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,120
phrase, write it in a sentence
that's true for you or true in your

76
00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:39,199
world, and then memorize your sentences. By the way, Can you imagine

77
00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,879
getting the chance to practice this kind
of English with me directly? You can

78
00:07:43,959 --> 00:07:48,720
get more practice using your English when
you join my podcast Learner's Study Group.

79
00:07:49,399 --> 00:07:55,800
There you can make new friends,
join us for live coaching every week where

80
00:07:55,800 --> 00:08:01,040
we practice these podcast lessons together.
Plus you get access to the PDF,

81
00:08:01,079 --> 00:08:07,560
transcript and audio download for every Happy
English podcast in the past and in the

82
00:08:07,639 --> 00:08:13,839
future. And on top of that, each episode has exercises where you can

83
00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,720
practice this English point with speaking and
writing checked by me. To learn more

84
00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:24,199
or to see some of the example
sentences from this lesson, just visit Myhappy

85
00:08:24,279 --> 00:08:31,639
English dot com and choose podcast lesson
seven fourteen. Remember learning another language is

86
00:08:31,679 --> 00:08:37,320
not easy, but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you on

87
00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,360
your journey. This podcast is brought
to you by Happy English. Please visit

88
00:08:41,759 --> 00:08:46,840
Myhappy English dot com. Show your
support for Happy English by leading us a

89
00:08:46,879 --> 00:09:01,919
review. Get English, get Happy, Happy English US