Could is also used to talk about ability in the present, but it has a special meaning. If you say that someone could do something, you mean that they have the ability to do it, but they don't in fact do it.

You use could to talk about a possibility, ability, or opportunity that depends on other conditions. Their hope was that a new and better East Germany could be born.

Definition of could modal verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

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