he could not have done that vs he was not able to to that

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'He could not have done that' is often used to express disbelief or impossibility, while 'He was not able to do that' simply states that he lacked the ability to do something.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 1106 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used to express disbelief or impossibility.

"he could not have done that"

This phrase is used to indicate that someone was unable to do something due to impossibility or disbelief.

Examples:

He could not have done that because he was out of town.
She could not have won the race without training.
They could not have known about the surprise party.
I could not have finished the project without your help.
The cat could not have opened the door by itself.

Alternatives:

He couldn't have done that
It was impossible for him to have done that

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate a lack of ability to do something.

"he was not able to to that"

This phrase is used to state that someone did not have the capability or skill to do something.

Examples:

He was not able to finish the race due to an injury.
She was not able to solve the math problem without help.
They were not able to attend the meeting because of a prior commitment.
I was not able to lift the heavy box on my own.
The dog was not able to catch the fast squirrel.

Show examples from the web [+]

He was not able to marry her.
Because Andy seemed to think there was some information he was not able to share with me.
He pleads infringement of the rights of the defence, claiming that he was not able to defend his interests before the contested decisions were adopted.
but with an expression as though he was not able to.
I would like to thank the President-in-Office for the reply, but I am rather disappointed that he was not able to give me more specific details about the number of proposals that they had been consulted on.
In case of point (a) of paragraph 2, the reference year shall be 2005 if the importer concerned can prove that he was not able to import or export the required quantities of milk products during 2006 as a result of exceptional circumstances.
As he was not able to receive the prize in person last year, perhaps it could be combined with the next part-session ceremony for the presentation of the Sakharov Prize to Mrs Ghezali?
I was not able to find out why your brother went to Portland.
I was not able to make them too stable.
I was not able to teach her that.
Because soon the water was not able to reach these areas.
I was not able to keep track of him.
I was not able to exploit it.
Therefore, the company was not able to demonstrate that it operated without significant State interference.
Tom was not able to quit smoking.
The system was not able to cope with this additional workload.
However, the industry was not able to support this claim with enough verifiable evidence.
Was not able to write data to the %1 process.
Was not able to read data from the %1 process.
Anjuta was not able to automatically determine the encoding of the file you want to open.

Alternatives:

He couldn't do that
He lacked the ability to do that

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he could not have done that vs he was not able to to that