pouvoir
/puvwaʁ/
#17 of 5,000 Core 1000
Translation
to be able to, can
Grammar
Verb typeirregular
Conjugation
Regular french-irregular conjugation. Pronouns: je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles.
Indicative
| Person | Present | Imperfect | Past historic | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | peux | pouvais | pus | pourrai | pourrais |
| tu | peux | pouvais | pus | pourras | pourrais |
| il/elle | peut | pouvait | put | pourra | pourrait |
| nous | pouvons | pouvions | pûmes | pourrons | pourrions |
| vous | pouvez | pouviez | pûtes | pourrez | pourriez |
| ils/elles | peuvent | pouvaient | purent | pourront | pourraient |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| je | puisse | pusse |
| tu | puisses | pusses |
| il/elle | puisse | pût |
| nous | puissions | pussions |
| vous | puissiez | pussiez |
| ils/elles | puissent | pussent |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- pouvant
- Past participle
- pu
Examples
, .
I cannot come this evening, sorry.
- ' ?
Can you help me with these suitcases?
.
We can meet up tomorrow if you like.
' .
She could not sleep because of the noise.
, j' .
I can't come on Saturday, I already have something else on.
Related words
Used in
Stories
- Le dernier train de la nuit3 min read
- Le jour du travail3 min read
- Le nouveau docteur3 min read
- Un voyage difficile4 min read
- Une rencontre au marche4 min read
Grammar articles
- French Advanced Grammar (C1-C2): The Constructions That Sound Native
- French Grammar Cheatsheet: The Essentials, One Page
- Conjugating French -ir Verbs in the Present Tense
- French Verb Conjugation: The Complete Rules with Examples
- French Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2): The Things That Stop You at the Plateau
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