Learn Spanish (Spain): No puedo abrir la puerta.

No puedo abrir la puerta.

I cannot open the door.

Breakdown of No puedo abrir la puerta.

Questions & Answers about No puedo abrir la puerta.

Why is the verb spelled puedo instead of 'podo'?

Puedo comes from the verb poder (to be able to / can). It is a stem-changing verb, meaning the o in the stem changes to ue when conjugated for most subjects, including the 'yo' (I) form. That is why 'I can' is puedo.

Where is the word for 'I' (yo) in this sentence?

In Spanish, the ending of the verb tells us who is doing the action. Because puedo is specifically the 'yo' form, it already means 'I can'. Adding yo is optional and is usually left out unless you really want to emphasize it.

Why does the sentence use the infinitive abrir instead of a conjugated form like 'abro'?

When you put two verbs together to express one idea, only the first verb is conjugated (puedo). The second verb stays in its infinitive or dictionary form (abrir). This works just like English: we say 'I can open', not 'I can opens'.

Why does the sentence start with no?

To make a sentence negative in Spanish, you simply put no directly in front of the conjugated verb. Placing it right before puedo changes the meaning from 'I can' to 'I cannot'.