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El hombre es fuerte y puede trabajar mucho.

El hombre es fuerte y puede trabajar mucho.
The man is strong and can work a lot.
From Lesson 38:Stem-changing verbs (o to ue)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El hombre es fuerte y puede trabajar mucho.

Why is it puede and not pode?
The verb for "to be able to" or "can" is poder. However, it is a stem-changing verb. When we conjugate it in the present tense for he, she, or it (like el hombre), the o in the stem changes to ue, making it puede.
Why is the second verb, trabajar, left in its infinitive (dictionary) form?
In Spanish, when you have two verbs working together in a phrase like "can work" (puede trabajar), you only conjugate the first verb. The second verb stays in its infinitive form (ending in -ar, -er, or -ir).
Why do we use es instead of está for "is" here?
We use es (from the verb ser) because being strong (fuerte) is seen as a core characteristic or defining trait of the man, rather than a temporary physical state or location, which would require the verb estar.
Why does mucho not change its ending here?
In this sentence, mucho means "a lot" and it is acting as an adverb describing how much he works (trabajar mucho). Adverbs never change their endings. If it were describing a noun instead, like "a lot of strength" (mucha fuerza), then it would change to match that noun's gender and number.

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