TESOL/Talking about abilities

What can you do?

Vocabulary

ability level	How well?	How good?
100%	Very well.	I'm great.
75%	Pretty well.	I'm pretty good.
50%	A little bit.	I'm okay.
25%	Not very well.	I'm not very good.
0%	I can't.

Key sentences

Asking about abilities	Telling about abilities
Can you (verb) ?	Yes, (adverb). No, I can't.

Asking about abilities	Telling about abilities
Are you a good (noun) ?	Yes, I'm (adjective). No, I can't.

Drills

Say these sentences without looking.

Can you (verb) ?

verb	sentence
draw	Can you draw ?
play football	Can you play football ?
cook	Can you cook ?
use a computer	Can you use a computer ?

Yes, (adverb).

adverb	sentence
very well	Yes, very well.
pretty well	Yes, pretty well.
a little bit	Yes, a little bit.
not very well	Yes, not very well.

Are you a good (noun) ?

noun	sentence
painter	Are you a good painter ?
cook	Are you a good cook ?
writer	Are you a good writer ?
soccer player	Are you a good soccer player ?

Yes, I'm (adjective).

adjective	sentence
great	Yes, I'm great.
pretty good	Yes, I'm pretty good.
okay	Yes, I'm okay.
not very good	Yes, I'm not very good.

Example

Practice this conversation.

Asking about abilities	Telling about abilities
Can you (draw) ?	Yes, (very well).

Asking about abilities	Telling about abilities
Are you a good (painter) ?	Yes, I'm (great).

Change partners. Use your imagination and change the sentences.

Exercise

Use your imagination. Make your own conversation.

Asking about abilities	Telling about abilities
Can you ... ?	Yes, ... .

Asking about abilities	Telling about abilities
Are you a good ... ?	Yes, I'm ....

Change partners. Use your imagination and make another conversation.

Practice

Asking about abilities	Telling about abilities
Find 5 things that your partner can do.	Talk about what you can do.

Further study

• English lesson topics

Resource type: this resource is a lesson in English as a second language.

• 
  Paint
• 
  Play soccer (US)
  Play football (UK)
• 
  Play the piano
• 
  Cook
• 
  Drive
• 
  Use a computer