My Abilities

Abidemi talks about things she can and cannot do.
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Beginner English (A1) Lesson 19 - Can

My Abilities

Two people talk about what they can do well.

Todd: So, Abidemi, let's talk about abilities.

Abidemi: Sure.

Todd: You seem to be very talented.

Abidemi: Well, thank you.

Todd: Can you sing well?

Abidemi: No. I don't consider myself a good singer.

Todd: No, I can't sing well.

Abidemi: No, I can't sing well.

Todd: No? Not at all?

Abidemi: Not really.

Todd: Do you sing often? Do you sing at karaoke? Do you sing at church?

Abidemi: I sing once in a while, but I don't really like it so much.

Todd: Do you ever sing to yourself at home? Like, sing in the shower? Sing while cleaning the house?

Abidemi: Yes, I do. I enjoy music a lot. I listen to a lot of music, and sometimes I sing along.

Todd: Yeah, I don't think I do that. I don't like singing. I can't sing. I have a terrible, terrible voice.

Abidemi: Really?

Todd: Yeah. People say I'm tone deaf, so when I sing my voice is flat. (singing). Very bad.

Abidemi: I see.

Todd: Yeah. I want to sing. I really do, but I have a bad voice.

Abidemi: I'm sure there are plenty of other things that you do very well.

Todd: Yeah, maybe. How about cooking? Can you cook well?

Abidemi: Cooking is another activity that I'm not so good at.

Todd: No.

Abidemi: Maybe I should say that again. I'm not very good at cooking.

Todd: You can't cook?

Abidemi: I have a few dishes that I cook really well, but I think I'm too lazy. I don't learn new ones.

Todd: Yeah, I'm the same. I don't cook, so I can't cook. Right? We say, "Practice makes perfect," but I never cook, so I can't cook.

Abidemi: I see what you mean.

Todd: Yeah.

Abidemi: One thing that I do do well, and really enjoy, is dancing.

Todd: You're a good dancer?

Abidemi: Some people have said that I'm good.

Todd: Nice. What style of dancing do you like?

Abidemi: I like hip-hop, dance music. When I was younger, I took some jazz classes, and I really enjoyed those as well.

Todd: There's jazz dancing?

Abidemi: Yes, there is.

Todd: Oh wow. What about salsa dancing? Or tango dancing?

Abidemi: I like those too, but usually you need a partner for those, so unless my husband wants to dance, but my husband doesn't really like dancing.

Todd: I understand. I'm the same. I can relate.

Can / Be good at - Grammar Notes

Point 1: We use can to show abilities.
  1. I can play tennis.
  2. She can speak Italian.
  3. They can build a computer.
  4. This dictionary can hold one million words.
Point 2: The negative form of can has three spellings: can not, cannot and can't.
  1. I can't go tonight.
  2. She cannot speak German.
  3. I can not get an internet connection.
  4. My car cannot go very fast.
Point 3: The adverb well is used to show a high ability at doing something.
  • Can you speak Japanese well?
  • I cannot speak it very well. I can speak it just a little.
  • What can you do well?
  • I can cook fairly well.
Point 4: The phrase be good at means you can do something well.
  1. Are you good at sports?
  2. Yes, I am pretty good at sports.
  3. Are you good at computers?
  4. No, I am not good at computers at all.
Answer the following questions about the interview.

Begginer A1 Conversations as listening lessons with natural English for ESL students.
Begginer A2 Conversations as listening lessons with natural English for ESL students.
Begginer B1 Conversations as listening lessons with natural English for ESL students.

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