Key facts
Pouvoir
Can · can/to be able to
Examples
Je peux aider.
I can help.
Il ne peut pas manger.
He cannot eat.
Nous pouvions sortir.
We could go out.
Nous avons pu finir.
We were able to finish.
Practice French conjugation for free in the Croissant Verbs app
Quizzes and spaced repetition for every tense, for free on your phone—plus short grammar guides on our Learn hub.
This verb is highly irregular. Prioritize repetition and active recall.
Présent
Indicative present — everyday actions, ongoing situations, and habits; the tense you rely on most in conversation.
Futur proche
Near future with aller + infinitive — what you are about to do, very soon after the moment of speaking.
Passé récent
Recent past with venir de + infinitive — something that has just finished, still fresh in the speaker’s mind.
Passé composé
Compound past with être or avoir + past participle — completed, one-off events and the backbone of spoken storytelling.
Conditionnel présent
Conditional mood — polite requests, imagined outcomes, and what would happen under certain conditions.
Futur simple
Simple future — often more formal or literary than the near future; states intentions farther ahead in time.
Imparfait
Imperfect — repeated habits in the past, background description, and actions still in progress when something else occurred.
Impératif présent
Present imperative — direct commands and friendly requests; only tu, nous, and vous person forms exist.
Participe présent
Present participle — the -ant form in subordinate clauses, compound tenses, and many fixed expressions.
Gérondif présent
Gerund with en + present participle — simultaneous action, manner, or cause while something else is going on.
Similar conjugation models (Irregular)
Practice Pouvoir in the app