Povi is the regular modal verb for an action or state that is possible for its subject. Depending on context, that possibility can come from ability, practical circumstances, permission, or the speaker's judgment that something may be true. The possible action follows directly as an infinitive, and both verbs share the same subject.
Complete regular paradigm
| Form | Function | Typical translation |
|---|---|---|
| povi | infinitive | to be able, can |
| povas | present indicative | can, may, is able |
| povis | past indicative | could, was able |
| povos | future indicative | will be able |
| povus | conditional | could, would be able |
| povu | volitive | may ... be able!, let ... be able! |
Mi povas renkonti vin post la laboro.
I can meet you after work.
Post la ĝisdatigo ni povos redakti la dokumenton samtempe.
After the update we'll be able to edit the document at the same time.
The form never changes for person or number: mi povas, ŝi povas, ili povas. Povu is grammatical but uncommon because one rarely commands ability. It occurs most naturally as an elevated or (formal) wish.
Povu ĉiu infano lerni en sekura medio!
May every child be able to learn in a safe environment!
A direct infinitive complement
Povi is followed directly by the infinitive naming what is possible. No al, por, or ke connects the two verbs.
Ĉu vi povas malfermi ĉi tiun kruĉon?
Can you open this jar?
Ni ne povis dormi pro la bruo en la strato.
We couldn't sleep because of the noise in the street.
Se mi havus pli da tempo, mi povus kuiri ĉiutage.
If I had more time, I could cook every day.
Grammar descriptions sometimes call this a “bare infinitive complement,” meaning that no connector precedes it. Unlike English after “can,” however, the Esperanto verb keeps its visible infinitive ending -i: povas helpi, never povas help.
The subject is shared. In ni povas dormi, ni is both the experiencer of possibility and the sleeper. Objects and prepositional complements belong to the infinitive:
Ŝi povas respondi la demandon sen helpo.
She can answer the question without help.
La demandon is licensed by transitive respondi, not by povi. The modal adds possibility but does not change the lexical verb's valency.
See Infinitives after Modal Verbs for the same-subject pattern shared by povi, devi, and voli.
Ability and learned skill
Context can make povi mean that the subject has the physical, mental, or practical ability to act.
Sen okulvitroj mi povas legi la grandajn literojn, sed ne la etajn.
Without glasses I can read the large letters, but not the small ones.
La bebo jam povas stari sen helpo.
The baby can already stand without help.
For a stable capacity, kapabli is more explicit. For knowledge of how to perform a learned skill, scipovi is more explicit.
Mi scipovas ripari la aparaton, sed sen la ĝusta ilo mi ne povas fari tion hodiaŭ.
I know how to repair the device, but without the right tool I can't do it today.
This contrast is useful: scipovas describes know-how; ne povas describes today's practical limitation. Neutral povi often covers both when the distinction is irrelevant.
Circumstantial possibility
Often the subject has the necessary opportunity because external conditions permit the action.
La vojo estas denove malfermita, do ni povas veturi tra la montoj.
The road is open again, so we can drive through the mountains.
Hodiaŭ mi ne povas resti longe, ĉar mia trajno foriras je la oka.
I can't stay long today because my train leaves at eight.
Nothing here says whether the travelers possess driving skill or whether I am physically capable of staying. Povi gathers ability and circumstances under the broader idea “possible for the subject.” Add a more specific verb only when the source matters.
Past povis reports past possibility or opportunity; it does not by itself guarantee that the action happened.
Mi povis telefoni hieraŭ, sed mi tute forgesis.
I could have called yesterday, but I completely forgot.
The second clause explicitly shows that no call occurred. If successful completion matters, state it: Mi sukcesis telefoni “I managed to call.”
Permission
Povi commonly asks for or grants permission, just as English “can/may” does.
— Ĉu mi povas uzi vian ŝargilon? — Jes, kompreneble.
— May I use your charger? — Yes, of course.
Vi povas foriri pli frue hodiaŭ, se vi jam finis la raporton.
You may leave earlier today if you have already finished the report.
When permission must be distinguished from ability, use rajti “be entitled/allowed.” A sign saying Vi ne rajtas eniri clearly prohibits entry; vi ne povas eniri may instead mean that entry is physically or practically impossible.
Vizitantoj ne rajtas eniri ĉi tiun ĉambron sen akompananto.
Visitors are not allowed to enter this room without an escort.
The distinction is lexical precision, not a claim that permissive povi is wrong. It is normal in everyday requests.
Epistemic possibility: what may be true
Povi can evaluate the possibility of a state or event rather than someone's ability. This is especially clear with inanimate subjects and infinitives such as esti, okazi, signifi, and ŝajni.
La pakaĵo povas alveni morgaŭ, sed la transportisto ne garantias tion.
The package may arrive tomorrow, but the carrier does not guarantee it.
Tiu sono povas veni de la hejtadsistemo.
That sound may be coming from the heating system.
Malgranda eraro en la adreso povas kaŭzi longan prokraston.
A small error in the address can cause a long delay.
The construction povas esti, ke... evaluates a whole proposition and corresponds to “it may be that...”
Povas esti, ke ili jam foriris sen ni.
It may be that they have already left without us.
In ordinary conversation, eble is often shorter: Eble ili jam foriris. Povas esti, ke... makes the possibility itself more explicit. With a human subject, li povas veni is ambiguous among ability, permission, circumstances, and “he may come.” Use eble li venos, li rajtas veni, or li kapablas veni when the source of possibility must be unmistakable.
The difference between possibility assigned to a subject and speaker-level probability is explored further in Epistemic Modality.
Conditional povus and polite proposals
The conditional presents ability in an imagined situation, but it also softens requests and suggestions.
Ĉu vi povus sendi al mi la finan version antaŭ tagmezo?
Could you send me the final version before noon?
Ni povus manĝi ekstere, se la pluvo ĉesos.
We could eat outside if the rain stops.
The question does not seriously investigate the listener's physical ability. Ĉu vi povus...? conventionally gives the addressee room to decline and is neutral polite language, suitable in both conversation and correspondence. It is not inherently (formal).
Omitted infinitives
The infinitive may be omitted when it is obvious from context.
— Ĉu vi povos veni morgaŭ? — Jes, mi povos.
— Will you be able to come tomorrow? — Yes, I will.
Mi helpos tiom, kiom mi povas.
I'll help as much as I can.
The modal still points to an understood action: povos veni, povas helpi. This ellipsis is natural and does not turn povi into a verb taking an ordinary noun object.
Negation and scope
Position ne according to what is denied.
Mi ne povas veni vendrede.
I cannot come on Friday.
Vi povas ne respondi, se la demando ĝenas vin.
You may choose not to answer if the question bothers you.
In ne povas veni, coming is not possible. In povas ne respondi, not answering is an available option. The less common ne povas ne fari means “cannot avoid doing”: Mi ne povas ne ridi “I can't help laughing.”
English “cannot” can also express a confident inference: Tio ne povas esti vera “That cannot be true.” Context separates that epistemic impossibility from inability.
Participles and word family
The active participles are regular: povanta “being able,” povinta “having been able,” and povonta “going to be able.” Adverbial povante is useful for stating an enabling circumstance.
Povante labori hejme, ŝi ŝparas du horojn da vojaĝado ĉiutage.
Being able to work from home, she saves two hours of travel every day.
Ordinary passive participles are not useful because povi is a subject-centered modal whose complement is an action, not a normal affected entity. Do not invent forms such as povata laboro for “work that can be done”; say farebla laboro or laboro, kiun oni povas fari.
Useful family members include povo “power, ability, authority,” senpova “powerless/unable,” ĉiopova “all-powerful,” and scipovi “know how.” Productive povigi is understandable as “enable/empower,” but ebligi for making something possible and rajtigi for authorizing are usually more precise.
La nova lifto ebligos al rulseĝuzantoj atingi ĉiujn etaĝojn.
The new elevator will enable wheelchair users to reach every floor.
Register and frequency
Povi is one of Esperanto's most frequent verbs and is neutral in every register. Its breadth is foundational and well established: context can supply ability, circumstances, or permission. In technical, legal, and academic prose, writers often choose kapabli, ebli, rajti, or esti permesite to remove that ordinary ambiguity. Povas esti, ke... is neutral; eblas, ke... is a concise alternative.
The root pov- and its regular forms are foundational. The broad modal reading is standard, not looseness, while the epistemic use is firmly attested in modern prose. Choosing rajti, scipovi, or eble when the source of possibility matters is a clarity recommendation, not a correction of ordinary povi.
Common Mistakes
Dropping the Esperanto infinitive ending
❌ Mi povas help vin post la kunveno.
Incorrect — Esperanto keeps the infinitive ending -i after a modal.
✅ Mi povas helpi vin post la kunveno.
I can help you after the meeting.
Conjugating both verbs
❌ Ŝi povos venos morgaŭ.
Incorrect — future tense belongs only to povos.
✅ Ŝi povos veni morgaŭ.
She will be able to come tomorrow.
Inserting a connector before the infinitive
❌ Ĉu vi povas al ripari ĉi tion?
Incorrect — povi takes the infinitive directly.
✅ Ĉu vi povas ripari ĉi tion?
Can you repair this?
Giving povi an ordinary noun object
❌ Mi povas la laboron sen helpo.
Incorrect — name the possible action with an infinitive.
✅ Mi povas fari la laboron sen helpo.
I can do the work without help.
Using ambiguous ne povas for a strict prohibition
❌ Vizitantoj ne povas foti ĉi tie.
Ambiguous — this could describe practical impossibility rather than a rule.
✅ Vizitantoj ne rajtas foti ĉi tie.
Visitors may not take photos here.
Key Takeaways
- Povi takes a direct same-subject infinitive: mi povas fari, never mi povas far.
- Context supplies ability, circumstances, permission, or epistemic possibility.
- Povis does not guarantee that the possible action occurred; sukcesis explicitly reports success.
- Povus forms real conditionals and conventional polite requests.
- More specific scipovi, kapabli, rajti, and ebli clarify the source of possibility when necessary.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Infinitives after Modal VerbsA1 — Combine povi, devi, and voli with a same-subject infinitive while keeping tense, mood, objects, and negation in the right layer.
- Epistemic ModalityB2 — Express certainty, probability, inference, possibility, and impossibility without confusing evidence judgments with obligation or mood.
- Scii: To Know FactsA2 — Use scii for facts, answers, embedded questions, and know-how, and distinguish informational knowledge from acquaintance with koni.
- Devi: Must Or OughtA2 — Use devi for obligation, necessity, expectation, and strong inference, with the right tense, complement, and negative scope.
- Softening Requests and AdviceA2 — Adjust Esperanto requests and advice with questions, conditional forms, reasons, options, timing, and proportionate mitigation.