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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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.