I find distinguishing between the two forms,  -abildi,  &  -abilirdi confusing!!  Please help.

For example

>"Ahmet could have seen the accident, but he came five minutes after."<

My translation: "Ahmet kazayi görebildi, fakat beş dakika sonra geldi"

Book:  "Ahmet kazayi görebilirdi, fakat beş dakika sonra geldi"

Is the use of the aorist past tense necessary?  Or is my translation acceptable?  .... especially when talking about something which happened in the ´Simple Past´ ...!!!

My recollection is that aorist tense is used to denote something which happens regularly ..!!  Does it imply that Ahmet was in the habit of arriving few minutes late after the accident?

Is there a ´rule´ ???

Thanks, kindly.

Tazx1

Ahmet kazayı görebilirdi, fakat beş dakika sonra geldi.

That means, Ahmet actually couldn´t see the accident because he arrived there five minutes later the accident happen.

But in here;

Ahmet sınavı geçebildi: Ahmet could have passed the exam.

Ahmet sınavı geçebilirdi ama çalışmadı: Ahmet couldn´t have passed the exam, actually he was able to pass it but he didn´t study.

Daha fazla çalışabilirdi ama hastaydı: He couldn´t have studied more, actually he was able to study more but he was sick.

thx

turkishcobra //

 Thanks turkishcobra >>> I get it, yani was able but did not ... -abilirdi !

                                                              was able and did .... -abildi !

Ahmet could have visited his friends > Ahmet arkadaşlari ziyaret edebilirdi.          [ham, yani]

Ahmet was able to visit his friends > Ahmet arkadaşlari ziyaret edebildi.  [tam, yani]

OK.  Thanks a lot.

Tazx1

Let me correct a confussion:

Ahmet was able to visit his friends means "Ahmet arkadaşlarını ziyaret edebilirdi", too.

Ahmet arkadaşlarını ziyaret edebildi: Ahmet COULD visit his friends.

-abilirdi doesn´t have a clear respond in English; that´s why learners have confussions about it.

But this formula is correct:

I get it, yani was able but did not ... -abilirdi !

                          was able and did ... -abildi !

thx

turkishcobra //

My english is not super but i think "might" gives this meaning on sentenses..

Ahmet sınavı geçebilirdi ama çalışmadı: Ahmet couldn´t have passed the exam ( he might pass, but he could not )

turkishcobra kardeşim, burda might ı da kullanabilirdik değil mi ? İngilizcem süper olmadığı için yanlışım varsa lütfen düzeltir misin ?

Aslında olabilir çünkü burada biraz da olasılıktan bahsetmiş; yani Ahmet´in çalışması durumunda sınavı geçme olasılığının var olduğunu anlatmaya çalışmış.

Ama cümlenin genel ağırlığı yapılabilirlik üzerine olduğundan "can/could" kullanılması daha iyi olur; anlamın kesinleşmesi bakımından =)

Zaten şu may/might yapısını oldum olası anlamamışımdır o yüzden çok da fazla bir şey söyleYEmeyeceğim   

English translation:

Actually it may be because there is a possibility in this point; I mean sentence is trying to express than there was possibility for Ahmet to pass the exam if he would have been studied.

But because of the meaning of sentence is based on "ability" "can/could" is better to use; for an exact meaning.

As a matter of fact I have never understood that "may/might" structure that´s why I can´t give information.

I think edebilir in past tense is "could have" "would have"  if the opportunity arose,Edebilirdi "He,She,It "should" have known "  I think the distinction between "edebilirdi" and "edebildi" is "could have" and "should have" respectively.

Sorry but I am trying to make sense of all I have read and I am now very very very confused L

Ahmet kazayı görebilirdi, fakat beş dakika sonra geldi.

You said that - Ahmet actually couldn´t see the accident because he arrived there five minutes later the accident happen.

So would we be able to say – Ahmet would have been able to see the accident , but he arrived five minutes later ?

I do not understand how the examples below demonsrate ‘Could not have ‘ ??   where is the negative.?  I am very confused by the examples.

Ahmet sınavı geçebilirdi ama çalışmadı: Ahmet couldn´t have passed the exam, actually he was able to pass it but he didn´t study.

I am only able to make any sense if it could be something like. ´ Ahmet would have been able to pass the exam but he did not work´.   ??

Daha fazla çalışabilirdi ama hastaydı: He couldn´t have studied more, actually he was able to study more but he was sick.

Same with this I do not understand how it can be ´Couldn’t´ .. ?

I see maybe – He would have been able to work more but he was sick (was able to (with ability )but could not do it as sick)

Sorry if I do not explain my issue clearly but I am very confused..

Could someone maybe be able to give a few more examples with a translation so I could try and work through it . Many Thanks

Ahmet sınavı geçebilirdi ama çalışmadı.

Your translation for this sentence is correct; it is a positive sentence. But in meaning, this sentence is NEGATIVE.

Ahmet sınavı geçebilirdi ama çalışmadı = Ahmet sınavı geçemedi çünkü çalışmadı.

That means, Ahmet couldn´t have passed the exam because he didn´t study (enough).

I wrote the English translation of sentence which is in the right side of equality.

thx

turkishcobra //