student asking question

"can" and "be able to", what's the difference?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "be able to" and "can" are both used to express ability, and can normally be used interchangeably without a difference in meaning, however, "can" is often used among native speakers most commonly. The main difference between these two terms is that "can" cannot be used to express potential ability in the future. When talking about future ability, it should always be "will be able to". Ex: After I move to France I will be able to speak French more fluently.

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