The verb poder in Spanish means "to be able to" or "can." It is a fundamental verb used to express ability, permission, or possibility. Understanding its conjugation is essential for Spanish learners. Poder is an irregular verb, meaning its stem does not follow a predictable pattern across all tenses and persons. Its main stem pod- notably changes to pued- or podr- in certain conjugations, and it undergoes other irregularities in specific tenses.
Understanding Poder's Irregularity
The irregularity of poder primarily stems from:
- Vowel changes: The 'o' in its stem often changes to 'ue' in the present indicative and present subjunctive tenses (e.g., puedo).
- Stem changes in preterite and derived tenses: In the preterite indicative, the 'o' changes to 'u' (pude), which also influences the imperfect subjunctive and gerund forms.
- Stem changes in future and conditional: For the future and conditional tenses, the stem changes to podr- (e.g., podré, podría).
Conjugations of Poder
Below are the conjugations of poder across various common moods and tenses.
Indicative Mood
The indicative mood is used to express factual information, actions, or states that are certain or real.
Present Indicative
This tense describes actions happening now or habitual actions. Note the o > ue stem change in most forms.
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | puedo |
| Tú | puedes |
| Él/Ella/Usted | puede |
| Nosotros/as | podemos |
| Vosotros/as | podéis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | pueden |
Preterite Indicative (Simple Past)
The preterite describes completed actions in the past. This tense has an irregular stem (o > u) and irregular endings.
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | pude |
| Tú | pudiste |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pudo |
| Nosotros/as | pudimos |
| Vosotros/as | pudisteis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | pudieron |
Imperfect Indicative (Continuous Past)
The imperfect tense describes ongoing, habitual, or descriptive actions in the past. Poder is regular in this tense.
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | podía |
| Tú | podías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | podía |
| Nosotros/as | podíamos |
| Vosotros/as | podíais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | podían |
Future Indicative
The future tense describes actions that will happen. Poder has an irregular stem (podr-) in this tense.
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | podré |
| Tú | podrás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | podrá |
| Nosotros/as | podremos |
| Vosotros/as | podréis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | podrán |
Conditional Indicative
The conditional tense expresses what would happen or possibilities. It also uses the irregular stem podr-.
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | podría |
| Tú | podrías |
| Él/Ella/Usted | podría |
| Nosotros/as | podríamos |
| Vosotros/as | podríais |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | podrían |
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood expresses desires, doubts, emotions, possibilities, and uncertain situations.
Present Subjunctive
The present subjunctive forms of poder are derived from the irregular 'u' stem of the preterite, with the 'o > ue' change appearing again in most forms.
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | pueda |
| Tú | puedas |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pueda |
| Nosotros/as | podamos |
| Vosotros/as | podáis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | puedan |
Imperfect Subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is derived from the irregular third-person plural preterite form (pudieron). It has two common sets of endings.
| Subject | -ra Form | -se Form |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | pudiera | pudiese |
| Tú | pudieras | pudieses |
| Él/Ella/Usted | pudiera | pudiese |
| Nosotros/as | pudiéramos | pudiésemos |
| Vosotros/as | pudierais | pudieseis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | pudieran | pudiesen |
Imperative Mood
The imperative mood is used to give commands or make requests. However, the verb poder (to be able to/can) is rarely, if ever, used in the imperative. One cannot command someone to "be able to." For practical purposes, direct imperative conjugations for poder are not typically used in Spanish.
Non-Personal Forms
These forms do not change based on the subject.
- Infinitive: Poder (to be able to, can)
- Gerund (Present Participle): Pudiendo (being able to, able to)
- This form is used with estar to form the present progressive: Estoy pudiendo (I am being able to/I am managing).
- Past Participle: Podido (been able to)
- This is used with haber to form perfect tenses: He podido (I have been able to).
Understanding these conjugations, especially the stem changes, will greatly enhance your ability to use poder correctly in various contexts. For more detailed information on Spanish verb conjugations and their uses, exploring comprehensive resources on Spanish grammar can be highly beneficial.
