a·ble
adjective/ˈeɪbl/
/ˈeɪbl/
Word Family
- able adjective (≠ unable)
- ably adverb
- ability noun (≠ inability)
- disabled adjective
- disability noun
- able to do something (used as a modal verb) having the skill, intelligence, opportunity, etc. needed to do something
拥有做某事所需的技能、智力、机会等 - You must be able to speak French for this job.
干这项工作你得会说法语。 - A viral illness left her barely able to walk.
一场病毒引起的疾病使她走路都十分困难。 - We're still able to get visas to come and go from Thailand.
我们仍然能够获得出入泰国的签证。 - I didn't feel able to disagree with him.
我觉得不能不同意他的意见。 - Will you be able to come?
你能来吗？ - Are you really willing and able to do what is necessary?
你真的愿意并且能够做必要的事情吗？ - They don't even seem able to see what's good about their ideas.
他们似乎甚至看不出自己的想法有什么好处。 - These families are less able to afford a balanced, healthy diet.
这些家庭不太能够负担均衡、健康的饮食。
Grammar Point can / could / be able to / managecan / could / be able to / manage- Can is used to say that somebody knows how to do something:
- Can you play the piano?
你会弹钢琴吗？
- I can hear someone calling.
我听见有人在呼叫。
- Can you play the piano?
- Can is also used with passive infinitives to talk about what it is possible to do:
- The podcast can be downloaded here.
播客可在此下载。
- The podcast can be downloaded here.
- Can or be able to are used to say that something is possible or that somebody has the opportunity to do something:
- Can you/are you able to come on Saturday?
你星期六能来吗？
- Can you/are you able to come on Saturday?
- You use be able to to form the future and perfect tenses and the infinitive:
- You’ll be able to get a taxi outside the station.
在车站外可搭乘出租车。 - I haven’t been able to get much work done today.
我今天未能干多少工作。 - She’d love to be able to play the piano.
她很希望能弹钢琴。
- You’ll be able to get a taxi outside the station.
- Could is used to talk about what someone was generally able to do in the past:
- Our daughter could walk when she was nine months old.
我们的女儿九个月大就会走路了。
- Our daughter could walk when she was nine months old.
- You use was/were able to or manage (but not could) when you are saying that something was possible on a particular occasion in the past:
- I was able to/managed to find some useful books in the library.
我总算在图书馆找到了一些有用的书。 - I could find some useful books in the library.
- We weren’t able to/didn’t manage to/couldn’t get there in time.
我们未能及时赶到那儿。
- I could see there was something wrong.
我发觉出事了。
- I was able to/managed to find some useful books in the library.
- Could have is used when you are saying that it was possible for somebody to do something in the past but they did not try:
- I could have won the game but decided to let her win.
我本可以赢得那场比赛，但还是决定让她赢了。
- I could have won the game but decided to let her win.
Extra Examples- Local farmers were able to make a decent living selling their produce.
当地农民能够靠出售农产品过上体面的生活。 - Humans are uniquely able to use true language.
唯有人类能够使用真正的语言。 - I was just able to make out a dark figure in the distance.
我只能看到远处有个黑影。 - Once you've had some sleep you'll feel better able to cope.
只要睡上一会儿，你就会觉得更能应付了。 - She is not physically able to take care of herself.
她身体不好，不能照顾自己。 - Unfortunately they weren't able to come.
可惜的是，他们来不了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- prove
- …
- fully
- perfectly
- quite
- …
- You must be able to speak French for this job.
- (comparative ablerintelligent; good at something/ˈeɪblə(r)//ˈeɪblər/, superlative ablest/ˈeɪblɪst//ˈeɪblɪst/)
有才智的；有才能的；（某方面）擅长的 - She's the ablest student in the class.
她是班里最能干的学生。
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc1- He was a very able man in business matters.
他在做生意方面很有才干。 - less able students
不那么聪明的学生 - She seems very able.
她好像很能干。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
see also ably - She's the ablest student in the class.
Word Originlate Middle English (also in the sense ‘easy to use, suitable’): from Old French hable, from Latin habilis ‘handy’, from habere ‘to hold’.