Podemos ver la película más tarde.

We can watch the movie later.

Breakdown of Podemos ver la película más tarde.

• nosotros: we
• poder: can
• la película: the movie
• ver: to watch
• más tarde: later

Questions & Answers about Podemos ver la película más tarde.

What exactly does the word bolded as podemos mean here?

It’s the present tense, first-person plural of poder (to be able to/can). So podemos means “we can” or “we are able to.” In context, it can express ability, permission, or a gentle suggestion, depending on tone and context.

Quick reference (Spain included):

• yo puedo
• tú puedes
• él/ella/usted puede
• nosotros/nosotras podemos
• vosotros/vosotras podéis (used in Spain)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes pueden

Why is ver in the infinitive and not conjugated?

Spanish uses a bare infinitive after modal-like verbs such as poder. The structure is “conjugated modal + infinitive”: podemos ver = “we can watch/see.” Conjugating both verbs (e.g., “podemos vemos”) would be incorrect.

Could I just say Vemos la película más tarde?

You can, but it changes the nuance. Podemos ver… suggests possibility/permission or a soft proposal. (La) vemos más tarde sounds more like a decision/plan (“We’ll watch it later”) or a casual proposal among friends. In conversation, La vemos luego is common as a plan/agreement. Use podemos if you want to emphasize “can/may” rather than a settled plan.

Is Podemos ver… a suggestion like “Let’s watch…”? How do I make it softer/politer?

Yes, it often functions as a suggestion. Softer/politer options:

• ¿Podemos ver la película más tarde? (Asking permission/sounding tentative)
• ¿Por qué no vemos la película más tarde? (Why don’t we…?)
• Podríamos ver la película más tarde. (Conditional “we could,” more polite)
• Si te parece, vemos la película más tarde. (If that works for you…)

Why is it la película and not una película or just película?

• la película = “the movie,” a specific one both speakers likely know.
• una película = “a movie,” any movie, not specified.
• Bare nouns (no article) are uncommon with countable objects in Spanish; Podemos ver película is ungrammatical. Spanish uses articles much more than English does.

Can I replace la película with a pronoun? Where does it go?

Yes. For a feminine singular direct object, use la:

• Before the conjugated verb: La podemos ver más tarde.
• Attached to the infinitive: Podemos verla más tarde. Both are correct; attaching to the infinitive is very common.

Why isn’t there an a before la película (like “ver a…” )?

The personal a is used before direct objects that are people (or treated like people, e.g., pets): ver a Juan. Things take no personal a: ver la película, ver el partido.

What’s the difference between ver and mirar here?

In Spain, you virtually always say ver una película (“watch a movie”). Mirar is “to look (at)” and isn’t the natural choice for movies/TV in Spain. In parts of Latin America you may hear mirar una película, but ver is safe and standard everywhere.

Can I move más tarde to another place in the sentence?

Yes. Common options:

• Podemos ver la película más tarde. (neutral)
• Más tarde, podemos ver la película. (fronted for emphasis on “later”)
• Podemos ver, más tarde, la película. (possible but less common) The first two are the most natural.

What’s the difference between más tarde, luego, and después?

All can mean “later/afterwards,” but with nuances:

• más tarde = later (often a bit later, not immediately).
• luego = later/then; in Spain it’s commonly “later,” and also “then” in sequences.
• después = afterwards/after that; neutral and widely used. Example: Podemos ver la película luego/después are both fine; más tarde can sound a touch more explicitly “later on.”

Is más tarde the same as por la tarde?

No.

• más tarde = “later” (relative to now), no specific time of day.
• por la tarde = “in the afternoon/evening” (a time frame).
  So: Podemos ver la película por la tarde says it’ll be in the afternoon/evening; más tarde just says “later.”

Why do película and más have accent marks?

• película is stressed on the antepenultimate syllable (pe-LÍ-cu-la). All such words (esdrújulas) carry a written accent.
• más has an accent to mark stress and to distinguish it from mas (“but,” literary/rare). más = “more.”

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence in Spain’s Spanish?

• v in ver sounds like Spanish b/v (a soft b sound), not the English “v.”
• d in podemos between vowels is often a soft, quick sound.
• c in película is a hard k sound (pe-LÍ-ku-la).
• The stressed syllables are po-DE-mos, pe-LÍ-cu-la, más tar-de.
• In Spain, s is always an “s” sound (no “th” here).

How do I turn it into a question meaning “Can we watch the movie later?”

Add the question marks and use questioning intonation; word order stays the same:

• ¿Podemos ver la película más tarde?

What’s the difference between Podemos ver… and Vamos a ver…?

• Podemos ver… = We can/may watch… (possibility/permission/suggestion).
• Vamos a ver… = We’re going to watch… (plan/near future).
  Use vamos a to state a plan; use podemos to propose or check feasibility.

Is there a more polite/softer version than Podemos…?

Yes, the conditional softens it:

• Podríamos ver la película más tarde. (“We could watch the movie later.”)
  It’s more tentative/polite than Podemos…

Do I need to capitalize película?

No. Common nouns are lowercase in Spanish. You’d capitalize a title: Podemos ver “Ciudad de Dios” más tarde. Colloquially in Spain, you might also hear: Podemos ver la “peli” más tarde. (informal for “movie”).