Poder is the Spanish modal verb of possibility, ability, and permission — it covers what English splits across can, could, may, might, be able to, and be allowed to. It is also one of the most aggressively irregular verbs in the language, packing four separate irregularities into a single paradigm: a classic o>ue stem change in the present (puedo), a "strong" u-stem preterite (pude, pudo — no accents), a dropped-vowel future and conditional (podré, podría — not poderé), and a poderoso preterite meaning shift (pude = I managed to, no pude = I couldn't / failed to). Add a u-stem gerundio (pudiendo, not podiendo) and a regular participle (podido), and you have a verb that touches almost every irregularity Spanish has to offer.
Non-finite forms
| Form | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitivo | poder | can, to be able to |
| Infinitivo compuesto | haber podido | to have been able to |
| Gerundio | pudiendo | being able to |
| Gerundio compuesto | habiendo podido | having been able to |
| Participio | podido (regular) | been able to |
The gerundio pudiendo is irregular: it shows the same o>u shift seen in poder's preterite (pud- + -iendo) rather than the expected pod- + -iendo. Poder is one of the few non--ir verbs that does this; the parallel shift is otherwise typical of -ir stem-changers (dormir → durmiendo, morir → muriendo). The participle podido is regular and appears in every compound tense.
Indicative — simple tenses
Presente — classic o>ue boot
| yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| puedo | puedes | puede | podemos | podéis | pueden |
The 1-2-3-6 boot: four diphthongised forms (puedo, puedes, puede, pueden) surround two unchanged ones (podemos, podéis) because the stress drops onto the ending in those two persons. Same logic as dormir → duermo, volver → vuelvo, contar → cuento.
No puedo más con este calor, voy a abrir la ventana.
I can't stand this heat any longer, I'm going to open the window.
¿Podéis bajar la música, por favor? Los niños están durmiendo.
Could you guys turn the music down, please? The kids are sleeping.
Pretérito perfecto simple — the u-stem
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pude | pudiste | pudo | pudimos | pudisteis | pudieron |
The preterite stem is pud-, and the endings are the so-called "strong" set: -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. Critically, the stress falls on the stem in yo and él, so neither carries an accent: pude, pudo — never pudé, pudó. This same shape repeats across the family of strong preterites: poner → puse, puso; tener → tuve, tuvo; saber → supe, supo; estar → estuve, estuvo; andar → anduve, anduvo.
Preterite meaning shift. In the preterite, poder shifts from a stative can to an event-based managed to / failed to:
- Pude entrar = I managed to get in (with effort, after trying)
- No pude entrar = I couldn't get in / I failed to get in (I tried but didn't succeed)
For was able to as a background state (I was able to swim back then), use the imperfect podía, not the preterite.
Al final pude hablar con el director cinco minutos antes de la reunión.
In the end I managed to talk to the director five minutes before the meeting.
No pudimos entrar al concierto porque se nos olvidaron las entradas.
We couldn't get into the concert because we forgot the tickets.
Pretérito imperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| podía | podías | podía | podíamos | podíais | podían |
The imperfect is fully regular — built on pod- with the standard -er imperfect endings. This is the tense for was able to / could as a background ability or a habitual state in the past: de joven podía correr una maratón — as a young man I could run a marathon.
Antes podías fumar en los bares, ahora ni se te ocurra.
In the old days you could smoke in bars; nowadays don't even think about it.
Futuro simple — dropped vowel
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| podré | podrás | podrá | podremos | podréis | podrán |
The future stem is podr- — the e of the infinitive poder drops out completely. This dropped-vowel pattern shows up in a handful of high-frequency verbs: poder → podré, saber → sabré, caber → cabré, querer → querré, haber → habré. The endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án are the same as for every Spanish verb in the future.
Mañana podré contestarte, hoy estoy hasta arriba.
Tomorrow I'll be able to answer you, today I'm swamped.
In peninsular Spanish, podré + infinitive is also used for conjectural deduction about future possibilities — ¿podré salir mañana? meaning both will I be able to and, in some contexts, do you think I might be able to.
Condicional — dropped vowel
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| podría | podrías | podría | podríamos | podríais | podrían |
Same podr- stem as the future, with conditional endings. The conditional of poder is enormously productive in everyday Spain — ¿podrías…? is the standard polite request, far more common than the bare imperative.
¿Podrías echarme una mano con la mudanza el sábado?
Could you give me a hand with the move on Saturday?
Yo en tu lugar no podría dormir tranquila después de aquello.
If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully after that.
Indicative — compound tenses
All compound tenses pair haber with the regular participle podido.
Pretérito perfecto compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| he podido | has podido | ha podido | hemos podido | habéis podido | han podido |
In peninsular Spanish this is the default tense for I've been able to within a still-current time frame: esta semana no he podido dormir.
Hoy no he podido pegar ojo, los vecinos de arriba estuvieron de fiesta.
Today I couldn't get a wink of sleep, the neighbors upstairs were partying.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| había podido | habías podido | había podido | habíamos podido | habíais podido | habían podido |
Cuando llegaste, ya había podido terminar el informe.
By the time you arrived, I'd already been able to finish the report.
Futuro compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habré podido | habrás podido | habrá podido | habremos podido | habréis podido | habrán podido |
Para el viernes ya habremos podido revisar las cuentas del trimestre.
By Friday we'll have managed to go through the quarterly accounts.
Condicional compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habría podido | habrías podido | habría podido | habríamos podido | habríais podido | habrían podido |
The conditional compound of poder is the standard way to express could have done — the so-called missed opportunity construction: habría podido decirme la verdad.
Habrías podido avisarme, llevo media hora esperando en la puerta.
You could have let me know, I've been waiting at the door for half an hour.
Subjunctive — simple tenses
Presente de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pueda | puedas | pueda | podamos | podáis | puedan |
The boot pattern reappears: ue in the four stressed-stem forms, plain o in nosotros / podamos and vosotros / podáis.
Hablad más despacio, que no puedo seguiros. — Vale, hablamos despacio para que puedas seguirnos.
Speak more slowly, I can't keep up. — Okay, we'll speak slowly so you can keep up.
Ojalá podamos vernos antes de que te vayas.
I hope we can see each other before you leave.
Imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se)
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | pudiera | pudieras | pudiera | pudiéramos | pudierais | pudieran |
| -se | pudiese | pudieses | pudiese | pudiésemos | pudieseis | pudiesen |
Built from the third-person plural preterite (pudieron), so the u-stem travels into the imperfect subjunctive. Both -ra and -se are interchangeable; -ra dominates in spoken Spain.
Si pudiera, me iría a vivir al pueblo de mis abuelos.
If I could, I'd go live in my grandparents' village.
Subjunctive — compound tenses
Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| haya podido | hayas podido | haya podido | hayamos podido | hayáis podido | hayan podido |
Me alegra que hayáis podido venir a la cena al final.
I'm glad you've been able to come to dinner after all.
Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | hubiera podido | hubieras podido | hubiera podido | hubiéramos podido | hubierais podido | hubieran podido |
| -se | hubiese podido | hubieses podido | hubiese podido | hubiésemos podido | hubieseis podido | hubiesen podido |
Si hubiéramos podido prevenirlo, nada de esto habría pasado.
If we'd been able to prevent it, none of this would have happened.
Imperative
The imperative of poder is essentially nonexistent in everyday speech — you cannot really order someone to be able to do something. The forms exist for completeness, mostly seen in motivational or self-help registers:
| Form | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | puede | no puedas |
| usted | pueda | no pueda |
| nosotros | podamos | no podamos |
| vosotros | poded | no podáis |
| ustedes | puedan | no puedan |
In practice, when you want to invite or urge someone to be able to, Spanish uses the present subjunctive in a que-clause: que puedas dormir bien — may you be able to sleep well.
Poder as a modal: structure and meaning
Poder is followed directly by an infinitive — no preposition. The structure is poder + infinitive, and it carries one of three readings depending on context:
| Reading | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Physical / mental ability | No puedo levantar esto. | I can't lift this. |
| Permission | ¿Puedo pasar? | May I come in? |
| Possibility / likelihood | Puede que llueva esta tarde. | It might rain this afternoon. |
| Polite request (conditional) | ¿Podrías abrir la ventana? | Could you open the window? |
The construction puede que + subjunctive is the most Spanish way of saying maybe / it's possible that: puede que venga, puede que no — he might come, he might not. This is one of the highest-frequency subjunctive triggers in conversation.
Puede que mañana llueva, así que coged paraguas por si acaso.
It might rain tomorrow, so grab umbrellas just in case.
Poder vs saber: ability vs know-how
Both translate to English can, but they cover different territory:
| Sense | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Have the physical / situational ability | poder | Hoy no puedo conducir, me duele la cabeza. |
| Have the learned skill / know-how | saber | No sé conducir, nunca he sacado el carné. |
The dividing line: poder is about whether the circumstances allow you to do something now (you might be tired, busy, blocked); saber + infinitive is about whether you have the underlying skill at all. No puedo nadar hoy means I can't swim today (the pool is closed, I'm injured). No sé nadar means I never learned to swim.
Sé tocar el piano, pero hoy no puedo, tengo una tendinitis en la muñeca.
I can play the piano, but today I can't — I've got tendonitis in my wrist.
High-frequency expressions with poder
| Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|
| no poder más | to be at the end of one's rope, to be exhausted |
| no poder con (algo / alguien) | to be unable to handle (sth / sb) |
| poder con todo | to be able to handle anything |
| puede que + subjunctive | maybe, it might be that |
| a más no poder | to the utmost, to the max |
| hasta donde se puede | as much as possible |
| el querer es poder | where there's a will there's a way |
| ¿se puede? | may I come in? (knocking at a door) |
No puedo con mi vida esta semana, tengo mil cosas pendientes.
I can't deal with my life this week, I've got a thousand things pending.
—¿Se puede? —Pasa, pasa, no estás molestando.
May I come in? — Come in, come in, you're not bothering me.
Common Mistakes
❌ Yo podo hablar tres idiomas.
The yo form takes the diphthong: puedo, not podo.
✅ Yo puedo hablar tres idiomas.
I can speak three languages.
❌ Ayer pudé hablar con el médico.
The yo preterite is pude — no accent, because stress falls on the stem.
✅ Ayer pude hablar con el médico.
Yesterday I managed to speak with the doctor.
❌ Mañana poderé ir al gimnasio.
The future is podré — the e of poder drops out.
✅ Mañana podré ir al gimnasio.
Tomorrow I'll be able to go to the gym.
❌ No sé nadar hoy, está cerrada la piscina.
Saber is permanent know-how; for today's ability use poder.
✅ No puedo nadar hoy, está cerrada la piscina.
I can't swim today, the pool is closed.
❌ Puede que llueve mañana.
Puede que triggers the subjunctive: llueva, not llueve.
✅ Puede que llueva mañana.
It might rain tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- Poder shows the o>ue boot in the present indicative and present subjunctive: puedo, puedes, puede, pueden — but podemos, podéis.
- The preterite is u-stem, "strong" pattern: pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron — no accents on pude / pudo. In the preterite poder shifts meaning to managed to / failed to.
- The future and conditional drop the e of the infinitive: podré, podría — never poderé, podería.
- Poder + infinitive covers ability, permission, and possibility. The polite request is ¿podrías…? in everyday Spanish.
- Puede que + subjunctive is the everyday way to say maybe — one of the most frequent subjunctive triggers in conversation.
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Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Cambio vocálico: o>ue (poder, dormir, contar)A2 — The o→ue stem change: stressed o becomes ue in the boot forms — puedo, duermo, cuento — while nosotros and vosotros keep the simple o.
- Futuro: raíces irregularesB1 — The twelve Spanish verbs with irregular future stems — tendr-, pondr-, saldr-, vendr-, valdr-, podr-, sabr-, cabr-, querr-, habr-, har-, dir- — grouped by pattern, with the same endings as regular verbs and the bonus that these stems also power the conditional.
- Pretérito con raíz en -u-: estar, tener, poder, poner, saberB1 — The strong-preterite family whose stem warps to -u-: estuve, tuve, pude, puse, supe — sharing one set of unaccented endings and producing several of the highest-frequency verbs in spoken Spanish.
- saberA1 — Full conjugation reference for saber (to know — facts, information, how to do something) — a profoundly irregular high-frequency verb with the unique yo form sé, a u-stem preterite (supe, supiste, supo) with the meaning shift 'found out', a dropped-vowel future (sabré), and the suppletive subjunctive sepa. Covers every tense, the saber vs conocer split, and the idiomatic uses peninsular speakers use daily.
- ponerA1 — Full conjugation reference for poner (to put, to place, to turn on) — one of the most irregular and most useful verbs in Spanish. Yo-go present (pongo), u-stem preterite (puse, puso), dropped-vowel future (pondré with epenthetic d), irregular participle puesto, and the short tú imperative pon. Covers every tense, the peninsular vosotros forms, the reflexive ponerse, and the huge web of fixed expressions built on poner.