COULD

The verb could is used to express:

someone’s ability or skill in the past:

Affirmative Interrogative (Question) Negative
I could swim when I was Couldn’t you do something? She couldn’t find the keys.
five.

the possibility of perception in the past tense – with the verbs like:
Affirmative Interrogative (Question) Negative
Could you hear that strange I couldn’t hear them
I could hear someone
hear shouting.
sound? because of the noise.

Could you see the church in the I couldn’t see anything

I could see you were
see depressed.
distance? in the dark.

I could imagine how you

Could you imagine how I couldn’t imagine you
felt.
imagine surprised I was? working in the office.

I couldn’t smell anything

I could smell gas. Could you smell the flowers?
smell because I had a cold.

I could understand her Could you understand his I couldn’t understand

understand French. accent? what was happening.

and also: with the verbs such as imagine, taste, recognise.