We know how to use can, may, and must in the present and future and that for other tenses and forms (e.g., infinitive, gerund), we must use be able to, be allowed to, or have to. We can use them in the past and future. Now, we will look at all the tenses and forms.
| Format | Can / Be able to | Be able to | Must have to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past tense | I was able to study hard last year. | I was able to read when I was five. | I had to study hard last year. |
| Present perfect | He hasn’t been able to finish the report yet. | I haven’t been allowed to leave the hospital yet. | I haven’t had to go to hospital yet. |
| Future Simple | Will you be able to come at the weekend? | Will you be allowed to go to my birthday party at the weekend? | Will you have to work at the weekend? |
| Past perfect | Had you been able to clean the kitchen before your wife got home? | Had you been allowed to drive before you were eighteen? | Had you had to do your homework before your parents got home? |
| Future perfect | In two years’ time, I’ll have been able to graduate. | In two years’ time, I’ll have been allowed to drink alcohol. | In two years’ time, I’ll have had to finish my studies. |
| Infinitive | I want to be able to drive. | I’d like to be allowed to go to a disco tonight. | I’d like not to have to go to work today. |
| Gerund | I love being able to ski. | I love being allowed to stay up on Fridays and Saturdays. | I love not having to get up early. |
| Conditionals | If he had apologized, she would have been able to forgive him. | If you had known him better, you would have been allowed to marry him. | If you had studied more, you wouldn’t have had to do the exam again. |
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