Can means being able to do something now, while could means the same in the past or is a softer, more polite form in the present. I can drive means I know how to drive. I could drive at eighteen means I was able to drive at eighteen. Could you help me? is a polite request.
can or could — can you pick the right one?
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can + verb: ability or permission now; could + verb: general ability in the past; Could you…?: polite request; could + verb: possibility (It could rain); managed to / was able to + verb: one success in the past
- I can swim quite well, but I can't dive at all.
- When I was five, I could already read simple books.
- Could you send me the file again? I can't open it.
What changed
First versionAfter an hour of searching, we could find the hotel.
RevisionAfter an hour of searching, we managed to find the hotel.
Finding the hotel after an hour of searching is one success on one occasion. But could in a positive sentence describes a general ability, not a single success. For one successful attempt, English uses managed to or were able to. In the negative, could works fine: We couldn't find the hotel.
In requests, both forms are fine, but they sound different. Can you pass the salt? is an ordinary request to people you know. Could you tell me where the station is? is softer and more polite, good for strangers and for work.
Your turn
Last year I ___ only say hello in Spanish, but now I can talk about my day.
Show the answer
could — Last year points to an ability in the past, so could. Can would describe what the person is able to do now, and the second half of the sentence already uses can for the present.
Compare what you could do as a child with what you can do now. Name one skill from the past and one new skill.
As a child I could draw horses really well, and now I can also edit videos on my laptop.
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