Hook

Think about something you’re good at — swimming, cooking, drawing? How do you say what you’re able to do in English?

Notice

Look at these sentences:

  • I can swim.
  • She can speak French.
  • They can’t play the piano.
  • Can you ride a bike? — Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

Rule

Can = able to do something. Can’t (cannot) = not able to.

Structure: Subject + can/can’t + base verb (no -s, no “to”).

  • He can drive. (NOT he can drives / he can to drive)
  • Question: Can + subject + verb? — Can she cook?
  • Short answers: Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

Can is the same for all subjects (I can, you can, he/she/it can, we can, they can) — no third-person -s!

Practice

  1. Complete: I ___ speak Spanish. (Answer: can)
  2. Make negative: He can play tennis. (Answer: He can’t play tennis.)
  3. Make a question: you / swim (Answer: Can you swim?)
  4. Correct the error: She can sings well. (Answer: She can sing well.)
  5. Correct the error: He cans drive. (Answer: He can drive.)
  6. Answer: Can birds fly? (Answer: Yes, they can.)
  7. Answer: Can fish walk? (Answer: No, they can’t.)

Connect

Practice ability verbs with our Vocabulary lessons — covering action verbs like “swim”, “cook”, “drive”.

Try the Vocabulary Lessons →

CEFR A1: Spoken Production — can use simple phrases to describe abilities.

Azizul Hakim
Latest posts by Azizul Hakim (see all)
PreviousNext