I'm glad you could come!

Question

"I'm glad you could come!""I'm glad I could meet him yesterday."I thought that "could" just meant someone had the ability to do something in the past and that "was able to" was preferable if you wanted to say the action actually happened. Are these sentences exceptions?lemmings

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]"I'm glad you could come!" "I'm glad I could meet him yesterday." I thought that "could" just meant someone had ... and that "was able to" was preferable if you wanted to say the action actually happened. Are these sentences exceptions?[/nq]
I think there is nothing "preferable" about either usage.

I'm glad you were able to come.
I'm glad you were able to meet him yesterday.
Those are simply alternatives for the sentences you used.

In fact,
I'm glad you came.
I'm glad you met him yesterday.
These are yet a third way of saying the same thing, though the "able to" and "could" may indicate more of a chance or choice about the events, rather than a simple narrative.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]"I'm glad you could come!" "I'm glad I could meet ... to say the action actually happened. Are these sentences exceptions?[/nq]
[nq:1]I think there is nothing "preferable" about either usage. I'm glad you were able to come. I'm glad you were able to meet him yesterday.[/nq]
As I understand it, "I could pass the test" and "I was able to pass the test" mean different things. The former only says that I had the ability to pass (but probably I didn't take the test), while the latter makes it clear that I actually took and pass it. Is this distinction not applicable here? Can you think of other exceptions?

thanks,
lemmings

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I think there is nothing "preferable" about either usage. I'm glad you were able to come. I'm glad you were able to meet him yesterday.[/nq]
[nq:1]As I understand it, "I could pass the test" and "I was able to pass the test" mean different things. ... clear that I actually took and pass it. Is this distinction not applicable here? Can you think of other exceptions?[/nq]
As a separate sentence, (Without the "I am glad. . .") "could: is a clear beginning of a conditional expression. I could pass the test, if (given the time, I studied were to study, I really tried).
However, in the examples provided, "could" is more a softening of a simple past tense into an imperfect, and has nothing to do with one's intellectual or financial ability or with the time allowed. There might be a story behind each example sentence, and the invitation is left open for an expansion on the simple comment.
"Well, I almost didn't make it, because there was such a todo at home." "Well, I almost missed my appointment with him, because the traffic was so heavy."

I'm glad you could come!

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