Você pode usar o carro hoje?

Can you use the car today?

Breakdown of Você pode usar o carro hoje?

• você: you
• o: the
• hoje: today
• poder: to be able to
• usar: to use
• carro: car

Questions & Answers about Você pode usar o carro hoje?

Why is você used here instead of tu?

In most parts of Brazil, você is the standard way to say “you” in everyday situations. Tu is more common in certain regions (such as parts of the Northeast and the South), but in general Brazilian Portuguese, você is used much more often.

Is it normal that hoje (“today”) comes at the end of the sentence?

Yes, it’s perfectly normal. You can put hoje at the beginning or the end of the sentence. For example:
• Hoje você pode usar o carro?
• Você pode usar o carro hoje?
Both are grammatically correct and commonly used.

Can I say Posso usar o carro hoje? to mean the same thing?

Yes. Posso usar o carro hoje? translates to “Can I use the car today?” which still gets across a very similar idea. The focus here is on you asking permission rather than asking if the other person can use the car.

What’s the difference between pode and poderia?

Pode is the present form meaning “you can,” while poderia is the conditional form meaning “you could.” Poderia is often considered more polite or less direct, similar to “could” in English. For example:
• Você poderia usar o carro hoje? implies a more polite way of asking if the person is able to use the car.

How do I pronounce pode correctly?

In Brazilian Portuguese, pode sounds like “POH-jee.” The d before an e or i often has a soft, “j”-like sound in most parts of Brazil.