# poder conjugation

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Updated 2026-10-29 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/poder

> *Poder* means "can" or "to be able to". The present changes its stem (*puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden*), the preterite has its own (*pude, pudiste, pudo*), and the future and conditional drop the *e* (*podré, podría*). Put a verb after it and you're set: *puedo ir* (I can go).

**Diagram.** In the present, the four forms stressed on the stem turn the o into ue, and together they make a boot shape: puedo, puedes, puede, pueden. Podemos and podéis sit outside it and keep pod-. The past gets its own stem, pud-.
> The conjugation of poder as two grids, singular on the left and plural on the right. Present: yo puedo, tú puedes, él puede, nosotros podemos, vosotros podéis, ellos pueden; a boot is drawn round puedo, puedes, puede and pueden, where the o becomes ue. Preterite: pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron, with the u of the stem marked.
- poder, present: p**ue**do, p**ue**des, p**ue**de, podemos, podéis, p**ue**den.
- poder, preterite: p**u**de, p**u**diste, p**u**do, p**u**dimos, p**u**disteis, p**u**dieron.
- Bold marks the letters that break the pattern.
- **Red pencil** is what breaks the pattern. The outline is the boot. Textbooks call these *boot verbs* because the forms that change make that shape.
- Same boot in *vuelvo* (volver), *encuentro* (encontrar) and *duermo* (dormir).

**poder** — can, to be able to. *Puedo*.

## Present indicative

*The everyday present: what you do, what's true, what's going on.*


| Pronoun | poder | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | puedo | PWEH-doh |
| tú | puedes | PWEH-dehs |
| él / ella / usted | puede | PWEH-deh |
| nosotros | podemos | poh-DEH-mohs |
| vosotros | podéis | poh-DEH-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pueden | PWEH-dehn |

When the stress lands on the stem, the *o* turns into *ue*: *puedo, puedes, puede, pueden*. *Nosotros* and *vosotros* stress the ending, so they keep *pod-*. With *vos* it's *vos podés*.

## Preterite

*The past for things that happened and finished: "I went", "she said".*


| Pronoun | poder | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | pude | POO-deh |
| tú | pudiste | poo-DEES-teh |
| él / ella / usted | pudo | POO-doh |
| nosotros | pudimos | poo-DEE-mohs |
| vosotros | pudisteis | poo-dees-TAY-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | pudieron | poo-DYEH-rohn |

New stem, *pud-*, and no accents: *pude*, not *pudé*. *Tener* (*tuve*), *estar* (*estuve*) and *poner* (*puse*) do the same kind of thing.

## Imperfect

*The past for how things were or used to be: "I was going", "we used to live".*


| Pronoun | poder | Say |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yo | podía | poh-DEE-ah |
| tú | podías | poh-DEE-ahs |
| él / ella / usted | podía | poh-DEE-ah |
| nosotros | podíamos | poh-DEE-ah-mohs |
| vosotros | podíais | poh-DEE-ah-ees |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | podían | poh-DEE-ahn |

## Future, conditional and subjunctive

*"Will" and "would", plus the subjunctive: the form Spanish uses after wishes, doubts and "if" (espero que…, si fuera…).*


| Pronoun | Future | Conditional | Pres. subj. | Imp. subj. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| yo | podré | podría | pueda | pudiera |
| tú | podrás | podrías | puedas | pudieras |
| él / ella / usted | podrá | podría | pueda | pudiera |
| nosotros | podremos | podríamos | podamos | pudiéramos |
| vosotros | podréis | podríais | podáis | pudierais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | podrán | podrían | puedan | pudieran |

The future and conditional drop the *e*: *podré*, not *poderé*. The conditional is how you ask nicely: *¿podrías ayudarme?* (could you help me?).

## Gerund and past participle

*The "-ing" form (estoy hablando, I'm talking) and the one that goes with haber (he hablado, I've talked).*


| Form | poder | In a sentence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| gerund (-ing) | pudiendo | *No pudiendo dormir, leí un rato* (not being able to sleep, I read for a while) |
| past participle | podido | *No he podido llamarte* (I haven't been able to call you) |

The gerund flips the *o* to *u*: *pudiendo*. You'll mostly see it written.

## Imperative

*Commands: telling someone to do something, or not to.*


| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
| --- | --- | --- |
| tú | puede | no puedas |
| usted | pueda | no pueda |
| nosotros | podamos | no podamos |
| vosotros | poded | no podáis |
| ustedes | puedan | no puedan |

These exist, but you'll pretty much never use them. You can't really order someone to be able to.

## pude or podía?

Both mean "could", but not the same "could". **Pude** is one time it worked: *pude terminar a tiempo* (I managed to finish on time). *No pude* is one time it didn't: *no pude dormir* (I couldn't sleep last night). **Podía** is what you could do in general, or the backdrop of a story: *de niño podía correr horas* (as a kid I could run for hours).

**Asking.** *¿Puedo…?* is asking permission (*¿puedo pasar?*, can I come in?). *¿Puedes…?*, or the softer *¿podrías…?*, is asking someone to do something. And *se puede* means "it's allowed": *¿se puede fumar aquí?* (can you smoke here?).

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## Questions

### What is the preterite of poder?

*Pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron*. It's got its own stem, *pud-*, and no accents.

### What is the difference between pude and podía?

*Pude* is one try with a result: *pude abrir la puerta* (I managed to open the door), *no pude abrirla* (I tried and couldn't). *Podía* is ability in general: *podía abrir cualquier puerta* (I could open any door).

### How do you say "can I" in Spanish?

*¿Puedo…?* plus a verb: *¿puedo ir?* (can I go?). To ask for something, *¿me puede dar…?*, or more politely *¿me podría dar…?* (could you give me…?).

### What is the gerund of poder?

*Pudiendo*, with the *o* turned into *u*. It's mostly a written thing: *no pudiendo esperar más* (not being able to wait any longer).

### What does puede que mean?

"Maybe", or "it might be that". It takes the subjunctive: *puede que llueva* (it might rain). On its own, *puede* is just "maybe": *¿vienes? — puede* (are you coming? — maybe).

## Related

- [querer conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/querer.md)
- [tener conjugation](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/tener.md)
- [Spanish verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations.md)

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