· Ability in the past
We couldn’t go on holiday in the end as we had to repair the house.
We *weren’t able to go on holiday……
(*This is the most grammatically correct use of modal in the past but the majority of native speakers will rarely use this. Most will prefer couldn’t for the past. It is more colloquial)
· Permission or requests in the present (formal and polite contexts)
Could I have a glass of water, please? Yes, of course you can.
Could you give me a moment, please? I’ll try to connect on you. (Formal)
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