poder — Spanish conjugation
to be able to
Indicative
Present (Presente) Irregular
The present tense is the most versatile tense in Spanish. It covers actions happening right now, habitual actions, and even near-future plans. One form does the work of three English constructions.
Ella habla inglés — She speaks / is speaking English
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo | I am able to |
| tú | puedes | you are able to |
| vos | podés | you are able to |
| él/ella/Ud. | puede | he/she/it is able to |
| nosotros | podemos | we are able to |
| vosotros | podéis | you (pl.) are able to |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pueden | they are able to |
Preterite (Pretérito indefinido) Irregular
Used for completed past actions with a defined endpoint — a single event, a series of events, or an action that interrupted another. Common with time expressions like ayer, el lunes, una vez.
Ella habló de ti ayer — She spoke about you yesterday
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | pude | I was able to |
| tú | pudiste | you were able to |
| vos | pudiste | you were able to |
| él/ella/Ud. | pudo | he/she/it was able to |
| nosotros | pudimos | we were able to |
| vosotros | pudisteis | you (pl.) were able to |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pudieron | they were able to |
Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto) Regular
Describes ongoing or habitual past states — what things were like, background context, what used to happen. Contrasts with the preterite which marks completed events.
Cuando era niño vivía en Valencia — When I was a child I lived in Valencia
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | podía |
| tú | podías |
| vos | podías |
| él/ella/Ud. | podía |
| nosotros | podíamos |
| vosotros | podíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podían |
Conditional (Condicional) Irregular
Expresses hypothetical actions, polite requests, and what would happen under certain conditions. Also used for reported speech about the future from a past perspective.
¿Podrías ayudarme? — Could you help me?
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | podría | I would be able to |
| tú | podrías | you would be able to |
| vos | podrías | you would be able to |
| él/ella/Ud. | podría | he/she/it would be able to |
| nosotros | podríamos | we would be able to |
| vosotros | podríais | you (pl.) would be able to |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podrían | they would be able to |
Future (Futuro) Irregular
Expresses future actions, predictions, and probability about the present. Formed with the full infinitive as stem for most verbs. In spoken Spanish, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for near future.
Ella hablará en conferencia mañana — She will speak at the conference tomorrow
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | podré | I will be able to |
| tú | podrás | you will be able to |
| vos | podrás | you will be able to |
| él/ella/Ud. | podrá | he/she/it will be able to |
| nosotros | podremos | we will be able to |
| vosotros | podréis | you (pl.) will be able to |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | podrán | they will be able to |
Present perfect (Pretérito perfecto) Regular
A compound past tense linking a past action to the present moment — something that has happened and still feels recent or relevant. More common in Spain than Latin America where preterite is preferred.
Hoy he hablado con el jefe — Today I have spoken with the boss
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | he podido | I have been able to |
| tú | has podido | you have been able to |
| vos | has podido | you have been able to |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha podido | he/she/it has been able to |
| nosotros | hemos podido | we have been able to |
| vosotros | habéis podido | you (pl.) have been able to |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han podido | they have been able to |
Pluperfect (Pretérito pluscuamperfecto) Regular
The past of the past — describes an action that was already completed before another past event happened. Always implies a reference point in the past.
Ya había hablado cuando llegaste — She had already spoken when you arrived
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | había podido | I had been able to |
| tú | habías podido | you had been able to |
| vos | habías podido | you had been able to |
| él/ella/Ud. | había podido | he/she/it had been able to |
| nosotros | habíamos podido | we had been able to |
| vosotros | habíais podido | you (pl.) had been able to |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían podido | they had been able to |
Conditional perfect (Condicional perfecto) Regular
Expresses what would have happened — actions that were possible but did not occur, or regrets about the past. Formed with conditional of haber + past participle.
Habría hablado, pero no me dejaron — I would have spoken, but they did not let me
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | habría podido |
| tú | habrías podido |
| vos | habrías podido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría podido |
| nosotros | habríamos podido |
| vosotros | habríais podido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían podido |
Future perfect (Futuro perfecto) Regular
Describes an action that will have been completed by a certain point in the future, or expresses probability about a recent past action.
Para el lunes habré terminado — By Monday I will have finished
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | habré podido | I will have been able to |
| tú | habrás podido | you will have been able to |
| vos | habrás podido | you will have been able to |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá podido | he/she/it will have been able to |
| nosotros | habremos podido | we will have been able to |
| vosotros | habréis podido | you (pl.) will have been able to |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán podido | they will have been able to |
Subjunctive
Present subjunctive (Subjuntivo presente) Irregular
Used in subordinate clauses after expressions of desire, doubt, emotion, necessity, or impersonal statements. Triggered by a change of subject between the main and subordinate clause.
Espero que hable — I hope she speaks
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | pueda |
| tú | puedas |
| vos | puedas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pueda |
| nosotros | podamos |
| vosotros | podáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | puedan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-ra)) Irregular
The past subjunctive used after past main verbs, in if-clauses with conditional, and for polite softening. The -ra form is more common in everyday speech than the -se form.
Si pudiera, lo haría — If I could, I would do it
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | pudiera |
| tú | pudieras |
| vos | pudieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | pudiera |
| nosotros | pudiéramos |
| vosotros | pudierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pudieran |
Imperfect subjunctive (-se) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-se)) Regular
The alternative past subjunctive form. Interchangeable with -ra in most contexts but slightly more literary or formal. Both forms are grammatically correct in all regions.
Si pudiese, lo haría — If I could, I would do it
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | pudiese |
| tú | pudieses |
| vos | pudieses |
| él/ella/Ud. | pudiese |
| nosotros | pudiésemos |
| vosotros | pudieseis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pudiesen |
Perfect subjunctive (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) Regular
A compound subjunctive that expresses completed actions in a subjunctive context — used after present or future main verbs expressing doubt, emotion or desire.
Dudo que ya haya llegado — I doubt she has already arrived
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | haya podido |
| tú | hayas podido |
| vos | hayas podido |
| él/ella/Ud. | haya podido |
| nosotros | hayamos podido |
| vosotros | hayáis podido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hayan podido |
Pluperfect subjunctive (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) Regular
Expresses what had happened in hypothetical or unreal past contexts — the subjunctive equivalent of the pluperfect. Common in contrary-to-fact past conditions.
Si hubiera hablado, lo habrían creído — If she had spoken, they would have believed her
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | hubiera podido |
| tú | hubieras podido |
| vos | hubieras podido |
| él/ella/Ud. | hubiera podido |
| nosotros | hubiéramos podido |
| vosotros | hubierais podido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hubieran podido |
Other forms
Imperative (affirmative) (Imperativo afirmativo) Irregular
Direct commands and instructions. The imperative only exists for tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros and ustedes — yo has no command form. Affirmative and negative forms use different conjugations.
Habla más despacio — Speak more slowly
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| tú | puede |
| vos | podé |
| él/ella/Ud. | pueda |
| nosotros | podamos |
| vosotros | poded |
| ustedes | puedan |
Imperative (negative) (Imperativo negativo) Regular
Negative commands use the subjunctive forms for all persons. Formed with no + present subjunctive. This applies to all persons including tú where the affirmative uses a different form.
No hables tan rápido — Do not speak so fast
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| tú | no puedas |
| vos | no puedas |
| él/ella/Ud. | no pueda |
| nosotros | no podamos |
| vosotros | no podáis |
| ustedes | no puedan |
Present progressive (Presente progresivo) Irregular
Emphasises that an action is happening right now at this very moment. Less common than in English since the present tense already covers ongoing actions in Spanish.
Estoy hablando contigo — I am speaking with you
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estoy pudiendo |
| tú | estás pudiendo |
| vos | estás pudiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | está pudiendo |
| nosotros | estamos pudiendo |
| vosotros | estáis pudiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | están pudiendo |
Preterite progressive (Pretérito indefinido progresivo) Irregular
Describes an action that was in progress throughout a completed past period. Uses the preterite of estar + gerund to emphasise the ongoing nature within a defined timeframe.
Estuvo hablando toda la tarde — He was talking all afternoon
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estuve pudiendo |
| tú | estuviste pudiendo |
| vos | estuviste pudiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estuvo pudiendo |
| nosotros | estuvimos pudiendo |
| vosotros | estuvisteis pudiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estuvieron pudiendo |
Imperfect progressive (Pretérito imperfecto progresivo) Irregular
Emphasises an ongoing background action using the imperfect of estar + gerund. Layered on top of the imperfect which already conveys continuity — used for extra emphasis on the progressive nature.
Estaba hablando cuando entró — I was speaking when he came in
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaba pudiendo |
| tú | estabas pudiendo |
| vos | estabas pudiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaba pudiendo |
| nosotros | estábamos pudiendo |
| vosotros | estabais pudiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estaban pudiendo |
Conditional progressive (Condicional progresivo) Irregular
Expresses what would be in progress under hypothetical conditions. Uses the conditional of estar + gerund. Less common but used for emphasis on the ongoing nature of a hypothetical action.
Estaría hablando ahora si pudiera — I would be speaking now if I could
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaría pudiendo |
| tú | estarías pudiendo |
| vos | estarías pudiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaría pudiendo |
| nosotros | estaríamos pudiendo |
| vosotros | estaríais pudiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarían pudiendo |
Future progressive (Futuro progresivo) Irregular
Describes an action that will be in progress at a future point, or expresses probability about an ongoing present action. Uses the future of estar + gerund.
Mañana a esta hora estaré viajando — At this time tomorrow I will be travelling
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaré pudiendo |
| tú | estarás pudiendo |
| vos | estarás pudiendo |
| él/ella/Ud. | estará pudiendo |
| nosotros | estaremos pudiendo |
| vosotros | estaréis pudiendo |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarán pudiendo |