can and able to?

[ESL-lover]

Hello.............................

Can and Able to have same meaning.

But...............................

When can we use can?

And..............................

When can we use able to?

:wink:

[Tdol]

In tenses where the two options exist, 'able to' is more used for single events and 'can' for general ability:

I could swim when I was 8.
Even though the sea was rough, I was able to swim to the shore safely.

[Anonymous]

In tenses where the two options exist, 'able to' is more used for single events and 'can' for general ability:

I could swim when I was 8.
Even though the sea was rough, I was able to swim to the shore safely.

Is that the same with:

I can come next week if you like.
I'm able to come next week if you like.

[Tdol]

I said 'more used' because it would be rare to find a sentence where you could only use 'able to', except in forms where can doesn't exist, like the present perfect.