Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Introduction to the verb pouvoir
The English translation of the French verb pouvoir is “to be able to” or “can.” The infinitive form is pronounced “poo-vwar.”
Pouvoir comes from the Latin word “potere,” meaning “to be able.” It is most often used in everyday French to express ability, capability, or possibility.
Here are three simple examples of pouvoir in everyday French:
- Je peux parler français. (I can speak French.)
- Elle ne peut pas venir demain. (She can’t come tomorrow.)
- Nous pourrions partir en vacances ensemble. (We could go on vacation together.)
Pouvoir – About the French Present Tense
To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Common Everyday Usage Patterns For Le Present
Interactions with Other Tenses
Table of the Present Tense Conjugation of pouvoir
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | peux | Je peux le faire. | I can do it. |
tu | peux | Tu peux venir avec moi. | You can come with me. |
il | peut | Il peut parler français. | He can speak French. |
elle | peut | Elle peut aller au cinéma. | She can go to the movies. |
on | peut | On peut arriver tôt. | We can arrive early. |
nous | pouvons | Nous pouvons aider. | We can help. |
vous | pouvez | Vous pouvez m’aider ? | Can you help me? |
ils | peuvent | Ils peuvent venir demain. | They can come tomorrow. |
elles | peuvent | Elles peuvent chanter. | They can sing. |
Other Conjugations for Pouvoir.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir (this article)
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pouvoir
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