Pouvoir

The irregular verb pouvoir (to be able to, can) is a shoe verb in the present tense and has two forms for je. Puis-je is often used in questions:

The use of the verb pouvoir:

• May express ability or success or the lack thereof

  • Je peux cuisiner. (I can cook.)

  • Il n'a pas pu réussir. (He couldn't succeed or He wasn't able to succeed.)

  • Pourras-tu conduire? (Will you be able to drive?)

• May express possibility or permissibility

  • Est-ce que je peux y aller? (May I go there? or Am I allowed to go there?)

  • Puis-je aller au cinéma? (May I go to the movies?)

  • Il peut le faire maintenant. (He may be able to do it now.)

• May express a suggestion

  • Je pourrais venir te chercher. (I could come pick you up.)

• May express obligation when an infinitive is negated

  • Tu peux ne pas venir. (You don't need to come or You aren't obligated to come.)

• Expresses “might” or “could” in the conditional

  • Je pourrais l'aider. (I could help him [her] or I might help him [her].)

• Can be idiomatic

  • n'en pouvoir plus (to be exhausted)

  • Je n'en peux plus. (I'm exhausted.)

  • n'y pouvoir rien (to be unable to do something about it)

  • On n'y peut rien. (It can't be helped.)

  • Je n'y peux rien. (I can't do anything about it.)

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