Week 47 – Work & study: abilities & experience

Week 47 – Work & study: abilities & experience (can/could/be able to/might, B1‑)

Theme: Talking about abilities, skills, and experience at work and in study; discussing what you can/could do and what you might be able to do in the future.

Main grammar & functions:

• can / can’t for present ability:
  • I can use Excel., I can’t drive.
• could / couldn’t for general past ability or specific situations:
  • I could read when I was four., I couldn’t log in yesterday.
• be able to for ability in different tenses and more formal contexts:
  • I was able to fix the problem., I’d like to be able to speak English fluently.
• might for possible ability/opportunity in the future:
  • I might be able to help you with that project.

CEFR link:

B1‑: Can describe abilities and skills in the past, present and (limited) future; can talk about professional and study experience (CEFR: “Can describe work experience and job skills in simple terms.”)

1. Lesson objectives (for students)

By the end of the week, students can:

1. Talk about what they can and can’t do at work / in study now.
2. Talk about what they could / couldn’t do in the past, and what they were able to do in specific situations.
3. Use be able to to talk about future abilities or goals ("want to be able to…").
4. Use might be able to to talk about possible help/opportunities in the future.

2. Grammar focus (with Ukrainian‑speaker notes)

a) can / can’t – present ability

Form:

• can / can’t + verb (same for all persons):
  • I can speak English.
  • She can use Excel.
  • We can’t drive.

Use:

• Skills and abilities now (language, computer, driving, soft skills):
  • I can speak English and German.
  • I can work under pressure.

Ukrainian issues:

• Sometimes adding to: can to do → can do.
• Word order generally OK.

b) could / couldn’t – past ability

Use 1 – general past ability:

• As a child / at school etc.:
  • When I was a child, I could swim.
  • My grandmother couldn’t use a computer.

Use 2 – specific situations (often better with be able to):

• couldn’t works well for specific failures:
  • Yesterday I couldn’t log in.
• For successful one‑off ability, we often prefer was able to / managed to:
  • I was able to fix the problem. (not usually I could fix the problem for this one situation.)

For B1‑, keep the rule simple: use could for general past skills, was/were able to for one‑time successes.

Form:

• could / couldn’t + verb:
  • I could read when I was five.
  • She couldn’t drive at 18.

Ukrainian issues:

• Confusion between could and can; highlight time expressions: when I was a child, at school…

c) be able to – ability in different tenses & goals

Form:

• Present: am / is / are able to + verb
  • I’m able to work under pressure. (more formal than I can work…)
• Past: was / were able to + verb
  • We were able to finish the project on time.
• Future/infinitive (common pattern): want / would like / hope to be able to + verb
  • I want to be able to speak English fluently.
  • I’d like to be able to work abroad.

Ukrainian issues:

• Using can in places where grammar requires an infinitive:
  • I want can speak English → I want to be able to speak English.

At this level, emphasise common goal phrase:

"I’d like to be able to…" as a chunk.

d) might be able to – possible ability/help

Form:

• might be able to + verb
  • I might be able to help you.
  • She might be able to come on Friday.

Use:

• Polite, uncertain offers or possible opportunities:
  • I’m not sure, but I might be able to finish it today.

Ukrainian issues:

• Tendency to use "maybe I can" only; show I might be able to… as a more nuanced option.

3. Vocabulary & topics

Work & study skills:

• hard skills: use Excel, write reports, program, design websites, repair machines, drive, operate a machine.
• soft skills: work in a team, solve problems, communicate with clients, manage time, work under pressure.
• language & study skills: speak English, give presentations, write emails, take notes, study independently.

Experience phrases:

• I have experience in…
• I’ve worked as… / I’ve studied…
• I can… / I’m able to… / I was able to…

4. Lesson skeleton (60–90 minutes)

1) Warm‑up – Ability survey (10–15 min)

• On the board, list 6–8 skills (drive, speak English, use Excel, give presentations, cook well, work under pressure, etc.).
• Students mark ✓/✗ for themselves and then, in pairs, say:
  • "I can drive but I can’t use Excel very well."
• Quick class feedback – you reformulate a few with be able to as model upgrades.

2) Presentation – Present & past abilities (15–20 min)

1. Give a short text:

Example:

Now I can speak English quite well. I can write emails and I can understand meetings. When I was at school, I couldn’t speak English. I could read a little, but I couldn’t talk.

2. Underline can / can’t / could / couldn’t and time expressions (now, when I was at school).
3. Elicit rules: can for now, could for general past.
4. Short controlled practice: transform present to past ability with "when I was a child".

3) Presentation – be able to (goals & one‑time situations) (15–20 min)

1. Add sentences to the text:

• • "Last year I was able to give a presentation in English."
  • "In the future I want to be able to work in English."
  • "I’d like to be able to travel for my job."

2. Highlight patterns:
   • was/were able to + verb (past success)
   • want / would like to be able to + verb (future goal)
3. Controlled practice:
   • Students complete:
     • "Last year I _ (finish / project / time)." → was able to finish a project on time.
     • "In the future I’d like to be able to _ (work / abroad)."

4) Practice – Work & study profile (15–20 min)

Students write about their skills and goals.

1. Give prompts:
   • now: can / can’t
   • past: could / couldn’t / was able to
   • future: want to be able to / would like to be able to / might be able to
2. Students write 6–8 sentences, e.g.:
   • "Now I can use Excel and I can write emails in English."
   • "At school I couldn’t speak English, but I could read simple texts."
   • "Last month I was able to finish a difficult project on time."
   • "In the future I’d like to be able to give presentations in English."
   • "I might be able to work abroad one day."
3. In pairs, they share and ask 1–2 follow‑up questions about each other’s skills/experience.

5) Freer practice – Job/Study interview role‑play (15–20 min)

Students practise talking about abilities and experience in a simple interview context.

1. Prepare basic "interview" questions:
   • What can you do well at work/in your studies?
   • What computer programs can you use?
   • What could you do when you were at school that helps you now?
   • Tell me about a time when you were able to solve a problem.
   • What do you want to be able to do in the future?
   • How might you be able to use English in your job?
2. In pairs, Student A is the interviewer, Student B the candidate; then swap roles.
3. Encourage use of can / could / was able to / want to be able to / might be able to.

5. Homework / revision ideas

Choose 1–2:

1. Skills CV paragraph
   • Students write a short paragraph for a CV or LinkedIn profile describing their skills and experience, using can / be able to / could / was able to / want to be able to.

2. Ability timeline
   • Students draw a simple timeline (childhood → now → future) and write 2–3 sentences for each stage about what they could/can/want to be able to do.

3. Interview preparation
   • Students write answers to 5 interview questions about skills and future goals, ready to use in a future speaking warm‑up.