I could, I couldn’t: when I was small
We use can and can’t for what we are able to do now: I can swim. I can’t speak French. We use could and couldn’t to talk about what was possible for us long ago: When I was five, I could ride a bike. When I was two, I couldn’t read. After can and could we use the plain verb. We use had to when something was necessary in the past: The bus didn’t come, so I had to walk. Read the table.
| Now | In the past |
|---|---|
| I can swim. | I could swim when I was seven. |
| I can’t drive. | I couldn’t walk when I was one. |
| Can you ride a bike? | Could you ride a bike at six? |
When you were three, you couldn’t read.
But I could count to ten!
Yes, and at five you could ride a bike.
Now I can play chess and speak English.
When Salma was two, she couldn’t talk much, but she could sing. When she was four, she could draw animals. She couldn’t swim then. Last summer she learned, and now she can swim very well. Yesterday she couldn’t find the bus, so she had to walk. She was tired, but she was proud of herself.
Then and now. Draw two columns on paper: when I was two and now. In each column write or draw what you could or can do. Say: When I was two, I couldn’t … . Now I can … . Ask the grown-up what they could and couldn’t do at five.