“过去的能力：could / was able to / managed to”

• could、was able to、managed to 都翻成「能」，但只有一个能用在「某一次成功做到」的情境，用错会闹笑话。
• could/couldn't 说过去一段时间内的一般能力，不是某一次。
• was/were able to 说某个特定时刻有能力做到；managed to 说同样情况但强调过程有难度、最终做成了。
• 某次没做到，wasn't able to / couldn't / didn't manage to 三种都能用。
• B1 重点是分清「一般能力」和「某次成功」，说某次成功做到绝不能用 could。

重点内容

could / couldn't — 一般能力（General ability）

表示过去一段时间内都有的能力，不是某一次。

• She could paint before she started school. → 她上学前就会画画了。
• I couldn't cook until I went to university. → 我上大学之前都不会做饭。
• When I lived next to the pool, I could go swimming every day. → 那时候我住在泳池旁边，每天都可以游泳。

was/were able to — 某次成功做到（Specific occasion – successful）

表示某一个特定时刻，有能力做到某件事（强调「有能力」）。

• The burglar was able to get in through the bathroom window.
  → 小偷（那次）能从浴室窗户进去。

managed to — 努力后终于做到（Specific occasion – successful, with difficulty）

表示某件事有难度，但最终成功做到了。

• The burglar managed to get in through the bathroom window even though it was locked.
  → 小偷想尽办法从锁着的浴室窗户爬进去了。

wasn't able to / didn't manage to / couldn't — 某次没做到（Unsuccessful）

表示某一特定时刻没能做到某件事，三种都可以用：

• The speaker wasn't able to attend the conference due to illness. → 演讲者因病无法出席（正式）
• She couldn't watch the match because she was working. → 她在工作，没能看比赛（日常）
• They didn't manage to find a solution. → 他们努力了但还是没找到解决方法（强调困难）

例句练习

常见错误

Sources

Blog / Website：

1. Past ability – British Council