There was a party last night. You could/were able hear the music half a mile-away

[Penuel]

Hello everybody!
Is it essential to use "could" in the following sentence, or "were able" could be the choice too?
There was a big party last night. You ... hear the music half a mile-away.

Thanks a lot!

[Alan]

Hi,

Essentially 'could' is used to mean had the ability to do something as in: When he was a child he could sing like an angel. 'Was able' is mostly used to suggest it was possible to do soemthing as in: I stayed late at work and as a result I was able to finish my work. In your sentence I would suggest 'could' because I presume you weren't trying to hear the music.

Alan
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[Penuel]

Thanks a million, Alan, now it's eventually clear to me when i have to use could or was/were able.