Expressing Ability: Being able to (توانستن)
To express that you can or are able to do something, use the verb توانستن (to be able to). Just like with expressing desires, you must conjugate توانستن to match the subject, and put the main action verb that follows into the present subjunctive.
| Pronoun | Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| من | میتوانم | I can |
| تو | میتوانی | You (sing.) can |
| او | میتواند | He/she can |
| ما | میتوانیم | We can |
| شما | میتوانید | You (pl./form.) can |
| آنها | میتوانند | They can |
| I can drive well. | من میتوانم خوب رانندگی کنم.man mitavânam khub rânandegi konam. |
| The mechanic can repair my car. | مکانیک میتواند ماشین من را تعمیر کند.mekânik mitavânad mâshin man râ ta'mir konad. |
Notice how with compound verbs, like تعمیر کردن (to repair) or رانندگی کردن (to drive), only the final verbal part takes the subjunctive form.
| They can dance and sing well. | آنها میتوانند خوب برقصند و آواز بخوانند.ânhâ mitavânand khub beraqsand va âvâz bekhânand. |
Negation
To say that you cannot do something, negate the conjugated form of توانستن by changing the میـ prefix to نمیـ (e.g., نمیتوانم). The main action verb remains in the subjunctive.
| My sister cannot translate this letter. | خواهر من نمیتواند این نامه را ترجمه کند.khâhar-e man nemitavânad in nâme râ tarjome konad. |
| You cannot solve this problem alone. | شما نمیتوانید این مشکل را تنها حل کنید.shomâ nemitavânid in moshkel râ tanhâ hall konid. |
Asking Questions
To ask someone about their skills or abilities, conjugate توانستن for the person you are asking.
| Can you repair this laptop? | آیا میتوانی این لپتاپ را تعمیر کنی؟âyâ mitavâni in lap-tâp râ ta'mir koni? |
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