He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries.
问题描述：
He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries.
公司支付不起这么庞大 的工资开支.
could是can的过去式,还是(用于婉转语气)能,可以
答
是can的过去时
could表委婉语气多用在对话中