Poder is the modal verb of ability and permission: can, may, to be able to. It is one of the most frequent verbs in the language and also one of the most irregular — its stem mutates across the tenses (pod-, poss-, pud-, pud-), and the preterite hides a famous spelling trap: pôde (he/she could) carries a circumflex to keep it apart from pode (he/she can). This page lays out the full paradigm and explains the meaning distinctions that English's flat "could" erases.
Why poder is hard
English speakers underestimate poder because in English "can / could" barely changes shape. Portuguese, by contrast, rebuilds the stem for almost every tense, and — crucially — it draws a sharp line that English collapses: the difference between managing to do something on one occasion (preterite pude) and being generally able / having permission over a stretch of time (imperfect podia). English uses "could" for both; Portuguese forces you to choose.
Presente do indicativo
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | posso |
| tu | podes |
| você / ele / ela | pode |
| nós | podemos |
| vocês / eles / elas | podem |
Only the eu form uses the poss- stem (posso); the rest use pod-.
Posso pagar com cartão ou só dinheiro?
Can I pay by card or only cash?
A gente não pode estacionar aqui, é proibido.
We can't park here, it's forbidden.
Pretérito perfeito
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pude |
| tu | pudeste |
| você / ele / ela | pôde |
| nós | pudemos |
| vocês / eles / elas | puderam |
This is the irregular pud- stem. The você/ele/ela form is pôde with a circumflex — the only thing distinguishing it from the present pode.
Desculpa, não pude atender, estava no chuveiro.
Sorry, I couldn't pick up, I was in the shower.
Ela não pôde vir ao casamento por causa do trabalho.
She couldn't come to the wedding because of work.
Pretérito imperfeito
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | podia |
| tu | podias |
| você / ele / ela | podia |
| nós | podíamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | podiam |
The imperfect is regular on the pod- stem. This is the form for "was able to / could (in general)" and for soft, polite suggestions.
Quando eu era solteiro, podia viajar quando quisesse.
When I was single, I could travel whenever I wanted.
Você podia me avisar antes, né?
You could've given me a heads-up, couldn't you?
Futuro do presente & futuro do pretérito (conditional)
Built on the full infinitive poder-.
| Pronoun | Futuro do presente | Futuro do pretérito |
|---|---|---|
| eu | poderei | poderia |
| tu | poderás | poderias |
| você / ele / ela | poderá | poderia |
| nós | poderemos | poderíamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | poderão | poderiam |
The conditional poderia is the polite "could you…?" of requests, much like English.
Você poderia me ajudar com as malas, por favor?
Could you help me with the bags, please?
Com mais tempo, a gente poderia ter feito um trabalho melhor.
With more time, we could have done a better job.
Presente do subjuntivo
The subjunctive uses the poss- stem throughout.
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | possa |
| tu | possas |
| você / ele / ela | possa |
| nós | possamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | possam |
Tomara que eu possa sair mais cedo hoje.
I hope I can leave early today.
Imperfeito & futuro do subjuntivo
Both use the pud- stem.
| Pronoun | Imperfeito do subjuntivo | Futuro do subjuntivo |
|---|---|---|
| eu | pudesse | puder |
| tu | pudesses | puderes |
| você / ele / ela | pudesse | puder |
| nós | pudéssemos | pudermos |
| vocês / eles / elas | pudessem | puderem |
Se eu pudesse, largava tudo e ia morar na praia.
If I could, I'd drop everything and go live by the beach.
Me liga quando você puder, sem pressa.
Call me when you can, no rush.
Imperativo
Poder is rarely used as a true command — telling someone "Be able to!" makes little sense — so the imperative is uncommon and, when it does appear, draws on the subjunctive poss- forms (e.g. softening possa). In practice Brazilians express permission with the present (pode entrar = "you may come in / go ahead") rather than a morphological imperative.
Pode entrar, a porta está aberta.
Come on in, the door's open.
Non-finite forms
| Form | Result |
|---|---|
| Infinitivo | poder |
| Infinitivo pessoal (nós) | podermos |
| Infinitivo pessoal (vocês / eles) | poderem |
| Gerúndio | podendo |
| Particípio | podido |
pude vs podia — the meaning split English misses
This is the heart of poder. English "could" is ambiguous; Portuguese is not:
- pude (preterite) = "I was able to and actually did it on that specific occasion" — a completed, bounded event. Consegui (managed to) is a close synonym.
- podia (imperfect) = "I was able to / had the ability or permission, in general" — an open, background state. It does not tell you whether the action happened.
So ontem eu pude falar com ele means "yesterday I managed to talk to him (and I did)." But naquela época eu podia falar com ele quando quisesse means "back then I could talk to him whenever I wanted (general ability, no single event)."
Finalmente pude descansar depois daquela semana horrível.
I was finally able to rest after that horrible week.
Antigamente eu podia comer o que quisesse sem engordar.
I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight.
pode ser and other set phrases
- pode ser — "maybe / that works / sounds good." A staple of casual agreement: — Vamos no cinema? — Pode ser.
- pode ser que…
- subjunctive — "it may be that…": pode ser que chova.
- não pode — "no way / that's not allowed."
- poder com — to be able to handle / stand someone or something: não posso com gente falsa.
— A gente se encontra às oito? — Pode ser!
— Shall we meet at eight? — Sounds good!
Pode ser que ele já tenha saído de casa.
It may be that he's already left home.
Common Mistakes
❌ Eu podo te ajudar.
Incorrect — the eu form is irregular: posso.
✅ Eu posso te ajudar.
I can help you.
❌ Ele não pode vir ontem. (meaning: past)
Incorrect — the past needs pôde with a circumflex.
✅ Ele não pôde vir ontem.
He couldn't come yesterday.
❌ Tomara que eu poda ir.
Incorrect — the present subjunctive is possa.
✅ Tomara que eu possa ir.
I hope I can go.
❌ Me liga quando você poder.
Incorrect — the future subjunctive is puder, not 'poder'.
✅ Me liga quando você puder.
Call me when you can.
❌ Se eu podesse, eu ia.
Incorrect — the imperfect subjunctive is pudesse.
✅ Se eu pudesse, eu ia.
If I could, I'd go.
Key Takeaways
- The stem changes by tense: posso/pode (present), pude/pôde (preterite), podia (imperfect), possa (present subj.), pudesse/puder (imperfect & future subj.).
- pôde (past) needs the circumflex; pode (present) does not.
- pude = managed to (one event); podia = was able to (general).
- pode ser = "maybe / sounds good," one of the most useful BR phrases.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Present Indicative of PoderA1 — How to conjugate poder (can, may, be able to) in the Brazilian Portuguese present, the three meanings it covers, and the everyday 'pode ser'.
- Pretérito Perfeito of Poder and QuererA2 — How to conjugate poder (pude, pôde, puderam) and querer (quis, quiseram) in the simple past — including the pode/pôde accent and the meaning shifts that trip up English speakers.
- Summary of Irregular Present Indicative FormsA2 — A consolidated reference table of the most common irregular Brazilian Portuguese verbs in the present indicative, grouped by the type of irregularity — suppletive stems, -g-/-ç- eu forms, -z- stems, and vowel-changing -ir verbs.
- Ter que + Infinitivo / Dever + Infinitivo (Obligation)A2 — How Brazilian Portuguese expresses obligation and necessity — ter que, ter de, dever, and precisar plus an infinitive.
- ConseguirA1 — How to conjugate and use conseguir (to manage to, succeed in, get) in Brazilian Portuguese, including its e→i stem change and gu→g spelling shift before a/o.