poder

Senses

1. 1.

   can, to be able to

   to have the ability or capacity to do something

2. 2.

   may, might (permission or possibility)

   to be allowed to or to have the possibility of

3. 3.

   can (used with negation for emphasis)

   to be logically possible that something might happen

Examples

• "No puedo hablar español muy bien todavía."

  I can't speak Spanish very well yet.

• "¿Puedo entrar? - Sí, puedes entrar."

  May I come in? - Yes, you may.

• "Podría llover mañana."

  It might rain tomorrow.

Usage

Poder is one of the most common modal verbs in Spanish. It can express ability (puedo hacerlo = I can do it), permission (¿puedo? = may I?), and possibility (puede ser = it's possible). The conditional podría is often used for polite requests. Common mistake: confusing poder (ability/permission) with saber (knowledge/skill); "No puedo nadar" = I can't swim (inability or permission denied), while "No sé nadar" = I don't know how to swim (lack of skill).