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Situation 1: My friends are playing outside. My leg is injured. Sitting at home, I'm thinking:

  1. It's pity that my leg is injured. I could be playing with them now.

Situation 2: My friends are playing outside. My leg is good. Sitting at the computer, I'm thinking:

  1. I could be playing with them now.

Q) Did I use the italicized sentence correctly in both the situations? If so, doesn't the italicized sentence, or rather the modal "could" with the progressive aspect, depend on the reason why I'm not playing with them now, because in (1) there is an obvious reason (my injured leg) why I'm not playing but in (2) there is no apparent reason why I'm not doing so?

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    They're awfully similar. They both mean you could if not for some other fact.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Jun 15, 2021 at 16:51
  • If you replaced could with would then in the second example there must be a good reason why you are at the computer. I don't agree with the previous comment, where the second case might mean you have a choice which you can make.
    – Weather Vane
    Jun 15, 2021 at 16:52
  • I think the speaker of (2) doesn't know themselves why they're not playing with their friends. So they're asking themselves: "what am I doing here? I should be playing with them now."
    – Mr. X
    Jun 15, 2021 at 17:28
  • They both have the sense of I could be playing with them now if... 1. I could be playing with them now if my leg weren't injured. 2. I could be playing with them now if I were I to get up and go outside.
    – Tinfoil Hat
    Jun 15, 2021 at 18:11

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