Poder Conjugation in Spanish

Introduction

“Poder” is a Spanish verb that translates to “to be able to / to can” in English. This verb is used in various contexts such as requesting permission, exemplified by “¿Podría usar el baño?” (“Could I use the bathroom?”), or expressing an inability to tolerate something, as in “No puedo más” (“I can’t take it anymore”). It is commonly utilized to denote the capability to perform an action. For instance, “Mi hermano puede nadar 1 kilómetro sin parar” means “My brother can swim 1 kilometer without stopping.”

Similar verbs to “poder” include: “ser capaz” (to be capable), “lograr” (to achieve).

Item	Spanish	English
Infinitive	poder	to be able to
Past participle	podido	been able to
Gerund	pudiendo	being able to

Indicative Tenses of Poder

Poder in the Present Tense

The Present Tense of “poder” is used to talk about situations, events, or thoughts that are happening right now or in the immediate future. Additionally, it can express facts and general truths.

Examples:

• “Yo puedo hablar español.” (I am able to speak Spanish.)
• “¿Tú puedes venir mañana?” (Can you come tomorrow?)
• “Ella no puede ir a la fiesta.” (She can’t go to the party.)

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	puedo	I am able to
Tú	puedes	you are able to
Ella / Él / Usted	puede	s/he is able to, you (formal) are able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	podemos	we are able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	podéis	you (plural) are able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	pueden	they are able to, you (plural formal) are able to

Poder in the Simple Past Indicative

The Simple Past Indicative of “poder” is employed to discuss actions that were completed at a distinct point in the past. For instance, “pude hablar español” means “I was able to speak Spanish”.

In Spanish, the Simple Past Indicative is referred to as “El Pretérito Indefinido”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	pude	I was able to
Tú	pudiste	you were able to
Ella / Él / Usted	pudo	s/he was able to, you (formal) was able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	pudimos	we were able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	pudisteis	you (plural) were able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	pudieron	they were able to, you (plural formal) were able to

Examples:

1. Yo pude terminar mi trabajo a tiempo.
2. Ella pudo visitar a su familia el fin de semana pasado.
3. Nosotros pudimos ver la película ayer.

Poder in the Past Imperfect Tense

The Past Imperfect tense of “poder” is utilized to express actions that were habitual or continuous in the past, as well as to describe conditions or situations that existed over an indefinite period. For instance, “podía hablar español” translates to “I used to be able to speak Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Past Imperfect tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Imperfecto”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	podía	I used to be able to
Tú	podías	you used to be able to
Ella / Él / Usted	podía	s/he used to be able to, you (formal) used to be able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	podíamos	we used to be able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	podíais	you (plural) used to be able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	podían	they used to be able to, you (plural formal) used to be able to

Examples:

1. Cuando era niño, podía correr muy rápido.
2. Tú podías entender todo cuando estudiabas más.
3. Nosotras podíamos pasar horas hablando sin cansarnos.

Poder in the Present Progressive Tense

The Present Progressive tense of “poder” is used for actions that are happening continuously or currently. For instance, “estoy pudiendo hablar español” translates to “I am being able to speak Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Present Progressive is referred to as “El Presente Progresivo.”

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	estoy pudiendo	I am being able to
Tú	estás pudiendo	you are being able to
Ella / Él / Usted	está pudiendo	s/he is being able to, you (formal) are being able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	estamos pudiendo	we are being able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	estáis pudiendo	you (plural) are being able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	están pudiendo	they are being able to, you (plural formal) are being able to

Examples:

1. Estoy pudiendo resolver los problemas matemáticos.
2. ¿Estás pudiendo dormir con el ruido?
3. Ellos están pudiendo comprender la lección.

Poder in the Informal Future Tense

This form of the verb “poder” is used to describe actions that someone is intending to do in the near future. For example, “voy a poder hablar español” translates to “I am going to be able to speak Spanish.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Futuro Próximo.”

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	voy a poder	I am going to be able to
Tú	vas a poder	you are going to be able to
Ella / Él / Usted	va a poder	s/he is going to be able to, you (formal) are going to be able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	vamos a poder	we are going to be able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	vais a poder	you (plural) are going to be able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	van a poder	they are going to be able to, you (plural formal) are going to be able to

Examples:

• Yo voy a poder visitar a mi familia el próximo mes.
• ¿Tú vas a poder asistir a la reunión mañana?
• Ellos van a poder terminar el proyecto a tiempo.

Poder in the Simple Future Tense

The Simple Future Tense of “poder” is used to describe something that will occur in the future. For instance, “podré hablar español”, which means “I will be able to speak Spanish”.

In Spanish, this tense is commonly referred to as “El Futuro Simple”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	podré	I will be able to
Tú	podrás	you will be able to
Ella / Él / Usted	podrá	s/he will be able to, you (formal) will be able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	podremos	we will be able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	podréis	you (plural) will be able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	podrán	they will be able to, you (plural formal) will be able to

Examples in Spanish:

1. Podré visitar a mi familia el próximo verano. (I will be able to visit my family next summer.)
2. ¿Podrás ayudarme con la tarea mañana? (Will you be able to help me with the homework tomorrow?)
3. Ellos podrán terminar el proyecto a tiempo. (They will be able to finish the project on time.)

Poder in the Conditional Indicative

The Conditional Indicative mood of “poder” is used to express situations that might occur in the future, including hypotheses and probabilities. For example, “podría hablar español,” which means “I would be able to speak Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Conditional Indicative is known as “El Condicional Simple.”

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	podría	I would be able to
Tú	podrías	you would be able to
Ella / Él / Usted	podría	s/he would be able to, you (formal) would be able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	podríamos	we would be able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	podríais	you (plural) would be able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	podrían	they would be able to, you (plural formal) would be able to

Examples:

1. Yo podría ir al cine si tuviera tiempo. (I would be able to go to the cinema if I had time.)
2. Ellos podrían terminar el proyecto, pero necesitan más recursos. (They would be able to finish the project, but they need more resources.)
3. Nosotros podríamos ayudarte mañana. (We would be able to help you tomorrow.)

Poder in the Indicative Present Perfect

The Indicative Present Perfect of “poder” is utilized to describe actions that began in the recent past and continue into the present or actions that have been completed recently. For instance, “he podido hablar español” translates to “I have been able to speak Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is called “El Pretérito Perfecto”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	he podido	I have been able to
Tú	has podido	you have been able to
Ella / Él / Usted	ha podido	s/he has been able to, you (formal) have been able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	hemos podido	we have been able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	habéis podido	you (plural) have been able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	han podido	they have been able to, you (plural formal) have been able to

Examples:

1. Yo: “He podido entender la lección.”
2. Tú: “Has podido resolver el problema.”
3. Nosotros: “Hemos podido terminar el proyecto.”

Poder in the Indicative Past Perfect

The Past Perfect in the indicative form of “poder” is utilized to describe actions that occurred before another event in the past. For instance, ” había podido hablar español “, translates to “I had been able to speak Spanish.”

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto.”

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	había podido	I had been able to
Tú	habías podido	you had been able to
Ella / Él / Usted	había podido	s/he had been able to, you (formal) had been able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	habíamos podido	we had been able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	habíais podido	you (plural) had been able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	habían podido	they had been able to, you (plural formal) had been able to

Examples:

1. Cuando llegué, ya había podido terminar su trabajo.
2. Antes de mudarme a España, nunca había podido hablar español con fluidez.
3. Aunque estudiaron mucho, no habían podido resolver el problema antes del examen.

Poder in the Future Perfect Indicative

The Future Perfect Indicative form of “poder” is used to express actions that will be completed before a certain point in the future. For example, “habré podido hablar español” means “I will have been able to speak Spanish.”

In Spanish, the Future Perfect Indicative is called “El Futuro Perfecto.”

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	habré podido	I will have been able to
Tú	habrás podido	you will have been able to
Ella / Él / Usted	habrá podido	s/he will have been able to, you (formal) will have been able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	habremos podido	we will have been able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	habréis podido	you (plural) will have been able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	habrán podido	they will have been able to, you (plural formal) will have been able to

Examples:

1. Para entonces, yo habré podido resolver el problema.
2. ¿Habrás podido asistir a la reunión cuando termine el proyecto?
3. Ellos habrán podido terminar el trabajo antes del plazo.

Poder in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Indicative Conditional Perfect of “poder” is utilized to discuss events that could have occurred in the past but didn’t due to another circumstance. For example, ” habría podido hablar español “, which translates to ” I would have been able to speak Spanish “.

In Spanish, this tense is referred to as “El Condicional Perfecto”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	habría podido	I would have been able to
Tú	habrías podido	you would have been able to
Ella / Él / Usted	habría podido	s/he would have been able to, you (formal) would have been able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	habríamos podido	we would have been able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	habríais podido	you (plural) would have been able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	habrían podido	they would have been able to, you (plural formal) would have been able to

Examples:

1. Si hubiéramos tenido más tiempo, habríamos podido visitar más lugares.
2. Creo que habrías podido lograrlo si hubieras empezado antes.
3. Ella habría podido terminar el proyecto, pero surgieron problemas imprevistos.

Subjunctive Tenses of Poder

Conjugation of Poder in the Present Subjunctive

The Present Subjunctive is used to express situations involving uncertainty, emotions, wishes, desires, or hopes. This mood contrasts with the indicative, as it conveys a sense of doubt or subjective perspective. For example, “pueda” means “I am able to”.

In Spanish, the Present Subjunctive is referred to as “El Presente de Subjuntivo”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	pueda	I am able to
Tú	puedas	you are able to
Ella / Él / Usted	pueda	s/he is able to, you (formal) are able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	podamos	we are able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	podáis	you (plural) are able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	puedan	they are able to, you (plural formal) are able to

Here are three examples demonstrating the Present Subjunctive with the verb “poder”:

1. Espero que tú puedas venir a la fiesta. (I hope that you are able to come to the party.)

2. Es posible que nosotros podamos terminar el proyecto a tiempo. (It is possible that we are able to finish the project on time.)

3. Dudo que ellos puedan resolver el problema sin ayuda. (I doubt that they are able to solve the problem without help.)

Poder in the Imperfect Subjunctive

The Imperfect Subjunctive is used to discuss unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to express emotional opinions about past actions. For example, “pudiera,” meaning “I were able to.”

In Spanish, the Imperfect Subjunctive is called “El Imperfecto Subjuntivo.”

Here are the conjugations:

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	pudiera	I were able to
Tú	pudieras	you were able to
Ella / Él / Usted	pudiera	s/he were able to, you (formal) were able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	pudiéramos	we were able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	pudierais	you (plural) were able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	pudieran	they were able to, you (plural formal) were able to

Here are three examples in Spanish using the Imperfect Subjunctive conjugation of “poder”:

1. Si pudiera viajar, iría a Japón.
2. Deseaba que pudieras asistir a la reunión.
3. Esperábamos que ellos pudieran venir a la fiesta.

Poder in the Future Subjunctive

The Future Subjunctive is utilized in Spanish to describe hypothetical circumstances and potential future events. For instance, “pudiere” translates to “I might be able to” in English.

In Spanish, the Future Subjunctive is referred to as “El Futuro Subjuntivo”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	pudiere	I might be able to
Tú	pudieres	you might be able to
Ella / Él / Usted	pudiere	s/he might be able to, you (formal) might be able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	pudiéremos	we might be able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	pudiereis	you (plural) might be able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	pudieren	they might be able to, you (plural formal) might be able to

Examples:

• Es posible que yo pudiere resolverlo mañana.
• Si tú pudieres venir, sería genial.
• El jefe dijo que, si pudiéremos, deberíamos completar el proyecto.

Poder in the Present Perfect Subjunctive

The Present Perfect Subjunctive is employed to describe past actions or events that have ties to the present or to express what will have happened by a given future time. For instance, “haya podido,” translating to “I have been able to.”

In Spanish, the Present Perfect Subjunctive is referred to as “El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	haya podido	I have been able to
Tú	hayas podido	you have been able to
Ella / Él / Usted	haya podido	s/he has been able to, you (formal) have been able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	hayamos podido	we have been able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	hayáis podido	you (plural) have been able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	hayan podido	they have been able to, you (plural formal) have been able to

Examples:

1. Es posible que yo haya podido resolver el problema a tiempo.
2. Dudo que tú hayas podido terminar el proyecto sola.
3. Espero que ustedes hayan podido disfrutar de la fiesta.

Uses of Poder in the Past Perfect Subjunctive

The Past Perfect Subjunctive is often used to describe hypothetical situations, and events or actions that happened before other past events. For instance, “hubiera podido” translates to “I had been able to”.

In Spanish, the Past Perfect Subjunctive is called “El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	hubiera podido	I had been able to
Tú	hubieras podido	you had been able to
Ella / Él / Usted	hubiera podido	s/he had been able to, you (formal) had been able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	hubiéramos podido	we had been able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	hubierais podido	you (plural) had been able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	hubieran podido	they had been able to, you (plural formal) had been able to

Examples:

1. Si hubiera podido ir a la fiesta, te habría visto.
2. Ojalá hubieras podido venir con nosotros.
3. Aunque hubiéramos podido ayudar, no supimos cómo hacerlo.

Poder in the Future Perfect Subjunctive

The Future Perfect Subjunctive is used to describe actions that will have occurred given certain hypothetical conditions in the future. For instance, in Spanish, “hubiere podido” translates to “I will have been able to.”

In Spanish, the Future Perfect Subjunctive is termed “El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo.”

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	hubiere podido	I will have been able to
Tú	hubieres podido	you will have been able to
Ella / Él / Usted	hubiere podido	s/he will have been able to, you (formal) will have been able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	hubiéremos podido	we will have been able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	hubiereis podido	you (plural) will have been able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	hubieren podido	they will have been able to, you (plural formal) will have been able to

Examples:

1. Si hubieres podido llegar a tiempo, habríamos comenzado la reunión.
2. Ellos hubieren podido resolver el problema si hubieran tenido más tiempo.
3. Nosotras hubiéremos podido terminar el trabajo antes si nos hubieras ayudado.

Imperative Forms of Poder

Poder in the Affirmative Command Form

The Affirmative Command Form is used to issue direct orders or requests to someone, instructing them to do something. For example, “pueda”, meaning “you (formal) be able to!”

In Spanish, the Affirmative Command Form is known as “El Imperativo Afirmativo”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	-	-
Tú	puede	(you) be able to!
Ella / Él / Usted	pueda	(you formal) be able to!
Nosotras / Nosotros	podamos	let’s be able to!
Vosotras / Vosotros	poded	(you plural) be able to!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	puedan	(you plural formal) be able to!

Examples:

1. Tú puede hacerlo ahora.
2. Usted pueda resolver este problema.
3. Vosotros poded venir mañana.

Poder in the Imperative Form (Negative)

The Negative Imperative is used to provide orders or instructions prohibiting an action. For example, “no puedas” translates to “don’t be able to” in a negative command.

In Spanish, this form is known as “El Imperativo Negativo”.

Pronoun	Spanish	English
Yo	-	-
Tú	no puedas	(you) don’t be able to
Ella / Él / Usted	no pueda	(you formal) don’t be able to
Nosotras / Nosotros	no podamos	let’s not be able to
Vosotras / Vosotros	no podáis	(you plural) don’t be able to
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes	no puedan	(you plural formal) don’t be able to

Example sentences and usage

• No puedas hacerlo sin permiso. (Don’t be able to do it without permission.)
• No podamos rendirnos antes de intentarlo. (Let’s not be able to give up before trying.)
• No podáis salir sin abrigo en invierno. (Don’t be able to go out without a coat in winter.)