The phrase "abilities to know when" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing someone's skills or capabilities in recognizing specific situations or timing.
Example: "Her abilities to know when to speak up and when to listen make her an effective leader."
Alternatives: "skills to discern when" or "capabilities to recognize when".
I feel quite good about my ability to know when something is done.
Depay can lack a killer touch and the ability to know when to pass and when not to.
Ching has a striker's resourcefulness, an ability to know when and where he and the ball will occupy the same space.
Whereas junior NCOs need to be aggressive, energetic and enthusiastic, senior NCOs and officers require a more measured disposition, calmness amid confusion, and they need the ability to know when to rein in those aggressive junior NCOs.
"Timmy Brown in Oakland was really good, but Ike has an uncanny ability to know when to slide, when to scoot, sit down, and he's a real easy target.
Said Mr. Rose afterward: "I've lived through four presidents, and he has a real ability to know when he's wrong and to see when things can be improved.
Florencio spent much of his time unloading cases of Budweiser and oil and supervising the irregular delivery trucks filling the underground tanks, but he had the uncanny ability to know when someone was going to bolt without paying.
And he and his wife, Carol, prove they have the qualifications to run this country smoothly: naïve optimism, family values and the ability to know when a good time-out is exactly what an ill-tempered politician needs.
"I think Benny's greatest strength is his taste and his ability to know when something is amazing," said Ammar Malik, who wrote "Stereo Hearts" and "Payphone" with Mr. Blanco.
Block and Funder also pointed out that people are naturally inclined toward either hot or cool responses and that adaptive responding depends on one's ability to know when waiting makes sense.
