How to Conjugate Puedo

Conjugating Poder in Present Tense

Say "yo puedo" to mean "I can." To form the first-person singular form of the verb poder in present tense, you must take off the -er ending and change the verb stem from "pod-" to "pued-" to form "puedo." For example, suppose you saw a child jumping for something out of reach. You could say "puedo ayudarte," or "I can help you" before getting the object for the child. If someone asks you to attend an event and you think you might have a scheduling conflict, you might say "iré si puedo," which means "I'll go if I can."

Use "tú puedes" to say "you can." The verb poder also is irregular for the second-person form, so you must change the verb stem to "pued-" after taking off the -er ending to create this form in present tense. Consider context when using this pronoun and this verb form. Don't use it to address a stranger, someone older than you, or someone in a position of authority. In those cases, use “usted puede" which is the formal version of "you."

Choose "él puede" or "ella puede" for third-person singular. If you want to talk about how a third person, animal, or object can do something, drop the -er ending. Change the verb stem from pod- to pued- and add an "e" to conjugate "poder." Use the same verb form for the singular second-person pronoun usted as well: "Usted puede" or "you can."

Add the ending -emos for first-person plural. In first-person plural, the verb poder is conjugated regularly, just like any other -er verb. You don't have to change the verb stem. "We can" in Spanish is "nosotros podemos."

Use “ustedes pueden” to say "you all can." The pronoun ustedes is the informal second-person plural in Spanish. If you would refer to each person in a group using the pronoun tú, this is an appropriate choice to refer to the group. You could also say, vosotros podéis. Vosotros is used primarily in Spain, and isn't used at all in Latin America.

Choose "ellos pueden" or "ellas pueden" to say "they can." For the third-person plural, the verb "poder" also has an irregular form. After dropping the -er ending, you must change the verb stem from "pod-" to "pued-." Use the same verb form if you want to use ustedes: "ustedes pueden." This is the primary second-person plural pronoun in Latin America and the formal second-person plural pronoun in Spain.

Learn common phrases using poder. There are many common phrases, particularly using the first-person singular form, that you probably will get significant use out of as you talk to other people in Spanish. You can start with "yo puedo," which means "I can." Similarly, you can say "no puedo" if you can't do something that someone has asked you to do. One of the first phrases you might learn in Spanish, either in a class or from a phrasebook, is "Puedo ir al baño?" This question means "Can I go to the bathroom?" In Spanish, the verb poder also is used when you are asking permission to do something. Another common phrase using the verb poder is "no lo puedo creer," which means "I can't believe it."

Conjugating Poder in Past Tense

Apply regular conjugation rules to use poder in the imperfect tense. Since poder isn't irregular in this tense, all you have to do is drop the "-er" from the verb stem "pod-." Then add the ending that matches your subject pronoun. Yo podía (I could) Tú podía (you could) Él/ella/usted podía (he/she/you could) Nosotros podíamos (we could) Vosotros podíais (you all could) Ellos/ellas/ustedes podían (they/you all could)

Change the verb stem for the preterite tense. The verb poder is irregular in the preterite tense. The verb stem for conjugated forms is "pud-," not "pod-." The appropriate endings also vary from those you may have learned for regular -er verbs. Yo pude (I could) Tú pudiste (you could) Él/ella/usted pudo (he/she/you could) Nosotros pudimos (we could) Vosotros pudisteis (you all could) Ellos/ellas/ustedes pudieron (they/you all could)

Use the imperfect tense for most past actions. In Spanish, there are two different verb tenses used for actions that occurred in the past. In most contexts, you want to use the imperfect tense, which also may be referred to simply as "past tense." This tense is used when an action happened over a more general period of time, happened intermittently, or don't have a definite end date. You also want to use this tense when talking about someone's characteristics or personal traits, or when talking about a mental or physical state in the past. The verb poder is regular in the imperfect tense, and roughly translated as "could" or "used to be able" in English.

Switch to the preterite tense for actions occurring entirely in the past. The preterite tense in Spanish should only be used when you are talking about an action that had a definite beginning and a definite end. The verb poder is irregular in the preterite tense. Although the translation in English is the same, it will be understood slightly differently in Spanish than if you used the imperfect tense. For example, you could say, "Ella pudo terminar su tarea anoche," meaning “She could finish her homework last night.” If you're talking about something that only happened for a specific period of time in the past, or on a specific date, you usually should use the preterite tense. For instance, “Yo podia bailar cuando yo era una adolescente," means, “I used to be able to dance to when I was a teenager.” The verb poder is regular in the imperfect tense, but irregular in the preterite tense. In both tenses, you translate the verb as "could" in English.

Conjugating Poder in Future Tense

Say "yo podré" to mean "I will be able." While the "pod-" verb stem seems to indicate regular conjugation for the verb poder in future tense, the ending differs from the regular conjugation of -er verbs. If you're familiar with the conjugation of regular -er verbs, you know that the first-person singular ending is -eré. With all future forms of poder, though, you don't want to add that first "e."

Use "tú podrás" to say "you will be able." Particularly when in Spain, conjugate poder this way to use the informal second-person pronoun tú.

Choose "él podrá" or "ella podrá" to say "he/she/it will be able." If you are talking about a third person or an object being able in the future, use this conjugation with the appropriate pronoun. Remember objects have gender in Spanish. Use the same form for the first-person singular pronoun usted.

Say "nosotros podremos" to mean "we will be able." To form the first-person plural form of the verb poder in future tense, drop the -er from the verb stem "pod-" and add the ending "-remos."

Add the ending -réis for second-person plural. Particularly in Spain, you might use the pronoun "vosotros" to talk to a group of people informally. Only use this form if you would address every person in the group individually as "tú." "Vosotros podréis" can be roughly translated as "you will be able" or "you will have the power" in English.

Choose "ellos podrán" or "ellas podrán" to say "they will be able." When talking about something a group will be able to do in the future, this conjugation is appropriate. Use "ellos" for a mixed-gender group. Use the same conjugation for the second-person plural pronoun ustedes.