I tried to find the difference between following two sentences:
I could do it.
I could have done it.
I am still confused between these two sentences. Please let me know what is the difference between them in context.
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Related: – Lucian Sava Jul 9 '15 at 6:28
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John: We are having a party tomorrow. I need someone to cook the fish.
Alice: I could do it.
That is, in the future, Alice can cook the fish.
John: The party was a disaster. No-one knew how to cook the fish.
Alice: I could have done it.
That is, in the past, Alice could have cooked the fish.
Compare to:
John: We are hungry. We need someone to cook the fish.
Alice: I can do it.
That is, in the present, Alice can cook the fish.
