Past ability

 Past ability 

Aftësi në të shkuarën 

 

    Do you know how to use could, was able to and managed to to talk about past abilities? Look at these examples to see how could, was able to and managed to are used. 

    A dini si të përdorni mundesha, isha i/e aftë të dhe ia dola të për të folur për aftësitë tuaja në të shkuarën? Shikoni këta shembuj për të parë se si përdoren could, was able to dhe managed to. 

• I could play the guitar when I was seven years old. 

• The police weren’t able to catch the speeding car. 

• The bird managed to escape from its cage and fly away. 

 

 

Try this exercise to test your grammar. 

Provoni këtë ushtrim për të testuar njohuritë tuaja gramatikore. 

 

 

  Choose the correct option to complete the sentences. 

  Zgjidhni opsionin e saktë për të plotësuar fjalitë. 

1. I _____ open the door while carrying all the shopping. 

• managed to 

• could 

 

2. The presentation wasn’t working at first but we _____ fix it. 

• could 

• were able to 

 

3. How did you _____ write a book so soon after having a baby? 

• manage to 

• be able to 

 

4. She _____ ski almost before she learned to walk. 

• could 

• managed to 

 

5. He _____ attend the last meeting due to his daughter’s illness. 

• weren’t able to 

• couldn’t 

 

6. _____ get your phone fixed? It looked very broken! 

• Did you manage to 

• Could you 

 

7. I _____ drink milk as a child because it always made me feel sick. 

• couldn’t 

• didn’t manage to 

 

8. The journey went fine yesterday and we _____ find their house easily with GPS. 

• could 

• were able to 

 

 

Read the explanation to learn more. 

Lexoni shpjegimin për të mësuar më shumë. 

 

 

 

Grammar explanation 

Shpjegimi gramatikor 

 

 

 

General ability 

Aftësi e përgjithshme 

 

  We usually use could or couldn’t to talk about general abilities in the past. 

  Ne zakonisht përdorim (nuk) mundesha të për të folur për aftësi të përgjithshme në të shkuarën. 

• She could paint before she started school. 

• I couldn’t cook until I went to university. 

• When I lived next to the pool, I could go swimming every day. 

 

 

 

Ability on one occasion – successful 

Aftësi në një rast – i suksesshëm 

  When we talk about achieving something on a specific occasion in the past, we use was/were able to (= had the ability to) and managed to (= succeeded in doing something difficult). 

   Kur flasim për arritjen e diçkaje në një rast të caktuar të së shkuarës, ne përdorim isha i/e aftë të (=kisha aftësinë të) dhe ia dola të (=ia dola mbanë të bëja diçka të vështirë). 

• The burglar was able to get in through the bathroom window. 

• The burglar managed to get in through the bathroom window even though it was locked. 

 

  Could is not usually correct when we’re talking about ability at a specific moment in the past. 

   Mundesha zakonisht nuk është e saktë kur jemi duke folur për një aftësi në një çast të caktuar të së shkuarës. 

 

 

 

Ability on one occasion – unsuccessful 

Aftësi në një rast – jo i sukseshëm 

  When we talk about a specific occasion when someone didn’t have the ability to do something, we can use wasn’t/weren’t able to, didn’t manage to or couldn’t. 

  Kur flasim për një rast të caktuar kur dikush nuk kishte aftësinë të bënte diçka, ne mund të përdorim nuk isha i/e aftë të, nuk ia arrita të apo nuk mundesha të. 

• The speaker wasn’t able to attend the conference due to illness. 

• She couldn’t watch the match because she was working. 

• They worked on it for months but they didn’t manage to find a solution. 

 

  Note that wasn’t/weren’t able to is more formal than couldn’t, while didn’t manage to emphasises that the thing was difficult to do. 

  Mbani mend se nuk isha i/e aftë të është më formale se nuk mundesha, ndërkohë që nuk ia arrita të thekson se diçka ishte e vështirë të kryhej. 

 

 

 

Do this exercise to test your grammar again. 

Bëni këtë ushtrim për të testuar sërish njohuritë tuaja gramatikore. 

 

  Choose the correct option to complete the sentences. 

  Zgjidhni opsionin e saktë për të plotësuar fjalitë. 

1. We were _____ leave our suitcases with reception while we waited for our room to be ready. 

• could 

• able to 

 

2. We were _____ get a boat from the island that day because of the bad weather. 

• not able to 

• not manage to 

 

3. I can’t believe you _____ get us a table at the restaurant. It’s always full! 

• could 

• managed to 

 

4. I _____ afford to buy a car so I borrowed money from the bank. 

• didn’t manage to 

• couldn’t 

 

5. Luckily, I _____ get to the airport on time, despite the traffic. 

• managed to 

• could 

 

6. When I first moved to Argentina I _____ only speak a few words of Spanish. 

• could 

• managed to 

 

7. He _____ swim until he had lessons when he was 20 years old. 

• didn’t manage to 

• couldn’t 

 

8. I _____ touch my toes until I started doing yoga and became more flexible. 

• could 

• couldn’t