pouvoir — can, to be able to; may (of a choice)
pouvoir is the #28 most common word in French, a verb. It means “can, to be able to; may (of a choice)” and is pronounced /pu.vwaʁ/.
#28frequency rank
0.42%of everyday French text
Level 1Beginner 1
Forms of pouvoir
| Form | What it is | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | infinitive | to be |
| pouvant | -ing form | being |
| pu | past participle | been |
| peux | I · present | I am |
| peux | you · present | you are |
| peut | he/she · present | he/she is |
| pouvons | we · present | we are |
| pouvez | you (pl.) · present | you (pl.) are |
| peuvent | they · present | they are |
| pouvais | I · imperfect | I used to be |
| pouvais | you · imperfect | you used to be |
| pouvait | he/she · imperfect | he/she used to be |
| pouvions | we · imperfect | we used to be |
| pouviez | you (pl.) · imperfect | you (pl.) used to be |
| pouvaient | they · imperfect | they used to be |
| pus | I · past | I was |
| pus | you · past | you were |
| put | he/she · past | he/she was |
| pûmes | we · past | we were |
| pûtes | you (pl.) · past | you (pl.) were |
| purent | they · past | they were |
| pourrai | I · future | I will be |
| pourras | you · future | you will be |
| pourra | he/she · future | he/she will be |
| pourrons | we · future | we will be |
| pourrez | you (pl.) · future | you (pl.) will be |
| pourront | they · future | they will be |
| pourrais | I · conditional | I would be |
| pourrais | you · conditional | you would be |
| pourrait | he/she · conditional | he/she would be |
| pourrions | we · conditional | we would be |
| pourriez | you (pl.) · conditional | you (pl.) would be |
| pourraient | they · conditional | they would be |
| puisse | I · subjunctive present | (that) I be |
| puisses | you · subjunctive present | (that) you be |
| puisse | he/she · subjunctive present | (that) he/she be |
| puissions | we · subjunctive present | (that) we be |
| puissiez | you (pl.) · subjunctive present | (that) you (pl.) be |
| puissent | they · subjunctive present | (that) they be |
| pusse | I · subjunctive imperfect | (if) I were |
| pusses | you · subjunctive imperfect | (if) you were |
| pût | he/she · subjunctive imperfect | (if) he/she were |
| pussions | we · subjunctive imperfect | (if) we were |
| pussiez | you (pl.) · subjunctive imperfect | (if) you (pl.) were |
| pussent | they · subjunctive imperfect | (if) they were |
| ayant | -ing form | being |