Conjugation of poder

Poder is the modal verb for ability, permission, and possibility. It covers much of English can, may, and be able to, but its syntax is simpler in one crucial respect: it is followed directly by an infinitive, with no intervening preposition. Its conditional podria also forms one of Catalan’s most useful polite requests.

The irregular family is puc/pots, podia, velar pogu- in the past, podr- in the future and conditional, pugu- in the present subjunctive and imperative, and participle pogut. The alternation between written o and u is real and must not be guessed from pronunciation alone.

The contrast with learned know-how is developed on the conjugation of saber page; here the focus remains on poder and circumstantial ability.

Nonfinite forms

The gerund is podent, not pugent or poguent. Compound tenses use invariable pogut: no hi han pogut entrar. Agreeing adjectival uses of pogut are rare; the modal participle overwhelmingly occurs after haver.

Indicative: simple and periphrastic tenses

Present puc is the only velar form in that tense. Poder never takes an incoative extension: podeixo is not Catalan. The ordinary spoken past is vaig poder, often implying that circumstances allowed an action or that someone managed to perform it. Imperfect podia describes an ongoing ability, permission, or possibility in a past setting.

Synthetic poguí, pogueres... is especially (formal/literary) in much Central Catalan and remains spoken regionally. Future and conditional contract to podr-: podré, never poderé.

Indicative: compound tenses

All compound tenses use haver + pogut. With another infinitive, the sequence is haver pogut + infinitive: hauria pogut venir “would have been able to come.”

Past anterior hagué pogut and periphrastic va haver pogut are mainly (formal/literary). The conditional perfect is much more useful: it often expresses an unrealized option or mild reproach.

Subjunctive: simple and compound

The present subjunctive and imperative exceptionally write u even in unstressed puguem, pugueu. The imperfect returns to o in pogués. This spelling alternation is arbitrary from a learner’s perspective and deserves direct memorization.

The periphrastic subjunctive rows have restricted (regional/formal) currency.

Imperative and modal syntax

These imperative forms are listed in normative paradigms but are semantically unusual: one rarely commands another person to “be able.” Actual imperative uses are confined largely to marked or stylized exhortations; a wish introduced by que uses the subjunctive, even when its form looks similar. Everyday politeness uses an indicative or conditional question: Pots...? Podries...?

Poder takes a bare infinitive: puc entrar, podem esperar. It does not govern a or de. A weak pronoun belonging to the infinitive may precede the finite modal or attach to the infinitive: ho puc revisar / puc revisar-ho; hi podem entrar / podem entrar-hi. Do not place it between two verbs as an independent stressed word.

Plain poder is not lexically pronominal. In es pot reservar per internet, es marks an impersonal or passive construction; it does not create a dictionary verb poder-se. Likewise, no me'n puc recordar receives its pronouns from pronominal recordar-se'n, not from poder.

Ability, permission, and possibility

For learned know-how, Catalan commonly contrasts saber + infinitive with circumstantial poder + infinitive. Sé conduir means “I know how to drive”; avui no puc conduir means that today’s circumstances prevent it.

For possibility, distinguish potser + indicative from pot ser que + subjunctive. They sound similar but are grammatically different: Potser plou versus Pot ser que plogui. This is a high-value spelling-and-mood contrast.

(Regional: Valencian) present subjunctive commonly has puga, pugues, puga, puguem, pugueu, puguen, with imperfect poguera.... General pugui and pogués are the baseline here. Across standards, the imperative and present subjunctive family keeps written u.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

Anchor the paradigm with puc, podia, pogué, podré, pugui, and pogut. Remember the spelling split puguem but poguéssim. Put a bare infinitive after poder, use saber for learned know-how, and distinguish potser + indicative from pot ser que + subjunctive. The imperative exists but ordinary requests favor pots...? and polite podries...?.