"Were you able to" and "are you able to", when to use which?

Question

I am aware that "be able to" means "If you are able to do something, you have enough freedom, power, time, or money to do it".

Were you able to attend the meeting yesterday?

I cannot understand in what kind of context a guy would say that, could someone make up a scenario?

This question is basically saying "I know you wanted to go, but were you actually able to?" It presumes the intention, and focuses only on the practicalities. — Will Vousden, Commented Jan 11, 2021 at 10:52

Rayan Khan · Accepted Answer · 2021-01-02 17:15:28Z

1

Were you able to attend the meeting yesterday?

I cannot understand in what kind of context a guy would say that, could someone make up a scenario?

X misses the meeting. He needs notes. He asks his friend Y "were you able to attend the meeting yesterday?".

answered Jan 2, 2021 at 17:15

Rayan Khan

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I think you need to clarify that this is really asking "Did you attend the meeting yesterday?" Strictly from the definition cited by the OP, the question "Were you able to attend?" seems to be asking whether Y was capable of attending yesterday, without actually asking if they did or not.
– Nick Matteo
Commented Jan 14, 2021 at 19:14

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