Ability and permission (conseguir, poder, saber)

Three Ways to Say "Can"

In English, we often use "can" for three very different things: a learned skill, permission, or the physical capability to succeed. Portuguese splits these meanings into three distinct verbs: saber, poder, and conseguir.

Let's learn how to distinguish them while discussing board games and strategies.

Saber: Learned Skills

Use saber ("to know how to") to express a learned skill or technique.

Poder: Permission and Circumstances

Use poder to ask for or give permission ("may"), or to talk about what external rules and circumstances allow.

In board games, use poder to discuss what the rules allow you or your opponent to do in a specific move.

Conseguir: Ability, Effort, and Success

Use conseguir to express the physical or mental ability to do something, or to say you "manage to" succeed at an action.

Notice the contrast between saber (knowing how to play) and conseguir (being physically able to):

You also use conseguir for mental effort, like understanding a tactic, or physical effort, like finding a missing die:

Following the Rules vs. Winning the Game

When playing a game, remember the golden rule: use poder for what the rules say you are allowed to do on your turn, and conseguir for what you actually manage to pull off!