angelene001
Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2012
- Member Type
- Interested in Language
- Native Language
- Polish
- Home Country
- Poland
- Current Location
- Poland
Can we use "be allowed to" and "could" interchangeably when talking about the permission in the past?
Or maybe the rules are the same like with "was able to" and "could" when talking about the ability in the past?
For example:
1. I could/was able to ride a bike when I was five -> repeated action in the past so we can use both
2. I was able to help him with his problem -> single action in the past so we can use only "was able to"
We can use "couldn't" for negations in 1 and 2.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Or maybe the rules are the same like with "was able to" and "could" when talking about the ability in the past?
For example:
1. I could/was able to ride a bike when I was five -> repeated action in the past so we can use both
2. I was able to help him with his problem -> single action in the past so we can use only "was able to"
We can use "couldn't" for negations in 1 and 2.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.