Could, was/were able to, managed to…
Could + Verb 1
General ability (non-ability) in
the past
“When I was 8 years old, I
could ride a bike with both of
my hands off.”
With sense verbs (see, hear,
smell, taste) and though-
process verbs (decide,
believe, understand,
remember)
“I walked past a market today
and could smell the
freshly baked bread.”
“We could not decide what to
get for his birthday so we
bought him a cake.”
Failure in a specific situation
(couldn’t)
“They had studied for months
but couldn’t pass the verbal
exam.”
Was/were able to + Verb 1 Managed to + Verb 1
General ability (non-ability) in Success in a specific
the past achievement/situation that
“When I was 8 years old, I was takes effort/difficulty (informal,
able to ride a bike with both of more common)
my hands off.” “After pulling all-nighters for a
Success/Failure in a specific week, she managed to finish the
achievement/situation that homework in time.”
takes effort/difficulty (formal)
“After pulling all-nighters for a
week, she was able to finish
the homework in time.”
“We had studied for months
but weren’t able to pass the
verbal exams.”
EXERCISE!
A. Circle the correct words!
1. I could/was able to open the door while carrying all the shopping.

2. The presentation wasn't working at first but we managed to/could fix it.

3. She could/managed to ski almost before she learned to walk.

4. He weren’t able to/couldn’t attend the last meeting due to his daughter's illness.

5. I can't believe you could/managed to get us a table at the restaurant. It's always

full!

B. Fill in the blanks with “could (not)”, “was/were(not) able to”, or “managed to”.
1. How did you _____ write a book so soon after having a baby?
2. I _____ drink milk as a child because it always made me feel sick.
3. It was raining the whole journey but we _____ find their house easily with GPS.
4. When I first moved to Argentina I _____ only speak a few words of Spanish.
5. I _____ touch my toes until I started doing yoga and became more flexible.