I COULD SWIM   (YUZEBILRDIM)

I WAS ABLE TO SWIM (YUZEBILDIM)

doğru mu???

yüzebilirdim = I could have swum

yüzebildim = I could swim

yüzebilirim ya da yüzebiliyorum = I can swim, I am able to swim

Bilgi için teşekkür ederim.

rica ederim Burhan

 Great.

Just to add:

yüzebildim can also to be I was able to swim

yüzebilirim can also be I know how to swim

yuzebilirdim fakat yuzmedim manasinda olacaksa, would ile kullanilir.

istanbul would have been captured... istanbul alinabilirdi (ama alinmadi) ornegi gibi

Could have ve would have aynı manayı mı veriyor?

I would have written - yazabilirdim

I could have written  - yazabilirdim

arasındaki fark ne? 

Aslında aynı manayı vermiyor.

Can have / Could have

We can use ´could have´  to talk about something somebody was capable of doing but didn´t do.

• I could have gone to Oxford University but I preferred Harvard.
• She could have married him but she didn´t want to.
• They could have bought a house here 20 years ago but chose not to.

Often, there is a sense of criticism.

• You could have phoned me to let me know.
• They could have helped me instead of just sitting there.
•  I could have done more to help you. Sorry.

We can use ´couldn´t have´ to talk about something we were not capable of doing.

• I couldn´t have managed without you.
• I couldn´t have got the job. He was always going to appoint his nephew.
• I couldn´t have enjoyed myself more. Thank you for a lovely day.

We can use ´could have´ to speculate about what has happened. (We can also use ´may have´ or ´might have´ in these situations.)

• She could have taken the earlier train.
• Simon could have told her.
• They could have overheard what we said.

We can also use ´can have´ to speculate about what has happened but only in questions and negative sentences and with words such as ´hardly´, ´never´ and ´only´.

• Can she have forgotten about our meeting?
• He can´t have seen us.
• They can hardly have thought that I was not interested in the job.

We can also use ´could have´ to speculate about something that didn´t happen.

• You could have broken your neck, jumping out the window like that.
• He could have hurt somebody, throwing a bottle out of the window like that.
• I could have done well in my exam if I´d worked harder.

You can also use ´could have´ to talk about possible present situations that have not happened.

• I could have been earning a lot as an accountant but the work was just too boring.
• He could have been Prime Minister now but he got involved in a big financial scandal.
• They could have been the market leaders now if they had taken his advice.
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  Third conditional

  We can use the Third Conditional to talk about ´impossible´ conditions, impossible because they are in the past and we cannot change what has happened.

  • If I had worked harder at school, I would have got better grades.
  • If I had had time, I would have gone to see him. But I didn´t have time.
  • If we had bought that house, we would have had to rebuild the kitchen.
  • If we had caught the earlier train, we would have got there on time but we were late.

  Notice that the main clause can contain ´would´, ´could´ or ´might.

  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I would have asked him. (But he wasn´t there so I didn´t.)
  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I could have asked him. ( But he wasn´t there so it wasn´t possible.)
  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I might have asked him. (But I´m not sure. Perhaps if the opportunity had arisen.)
  • If I had paid more attention in class, I would have understood the lesson.

  Also notice that sometimes the ´if clause´ is implied rather than spoken.

  • I´d have done it. ("if you had asked me but you didn´t.")
  • I wouldn´t have said that. ("if I´d been there.")
  • He wouldn´t have let him get away with that. ("if he had tried that with me.")

 

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So my understanding is ;

Kalemim olsaydı ona mektup yazardım ---> If I had a pen I would have written a letter to him.[ I wasnt able to write him a letter because I didnt have a pen ]

Ona mektup yazabilirdin ---> You could have written a letter to him [ You had a chance to write him a letter, but you didnt]

 

There is a difference of course ! 

To simply clarify :

could have suggests ´´ability´´

would have suggests ´´possibility´´    

I could have reached the party last night (We get the notion that I have the ability to reach)

I would have reached the party last night ( We get the notion that There is a possibility that I reached the place last night)

Bence

yazacaktım = I would have written

yazabilirdim = I could have written

yazardım = I would write

yazabilirim = I can write, I am able to write

-acak + dı  is also used as " about to do someting"

I was just about to phone you ---> Ben de tam sana telefon edecektim.

and also

FUTURE IN THE PAST

1. Structure: Yapı

Olumsuz şekli

Soru şekli

Henry,

I have learned in the class that we should have "swum" (pp of swim).

Marion either didn´t correct it. How come? Is that OK?

You are correct. My mistake. 

Swam is the past tense verb of swim, and swum is a past participle that needs to be used with an auxillery verb like have or had.

Unfortunately many English speakers like myself, do not know all our grammar rules. By learning Turkish, my English grammar knowledge has also slowly improved.

He swam in the Black Sea yesterday.

He had swum in the Black Sea before.

I have never swum in the Black Sea, but I swam in the Mediterranean Sea last year. 

Because we hardly ever use ´swum´, it sounds unusual and even wrong to many English speakers.