Poder – Puedo, Puedes, Puede, Pudiste, Podido

The present indicative of poder shows general ability or permission right now. Use it for things you usually can do or are allowed to do.

The preterite of poder tells whether someone was able to do something in a specific past moment. It often contrasts with attempts to act that succeeded or failed.

The imperfect of poder describes ongoing ability or habitual permission in the past. Use it for general conditions rather than single events.

The conditional of poder expresses hypothetical ability or polite requests. It softens statements and is useful for imagining what one could do.

The present subjunctive of poder appears in dependent clauses after expressions that trigger doubt, desire, or necessity. It is common in requests and tentative scenarios.

Set phrases with poder show nuances of ability, permission, and limitation. Learn common idioms to sound natural.

Poder anchors sentences about ability, permission, and possibility across tenses. Master its key forms so you can report what you can do, could do, and might do in real and imagined situations.