The Conjugation of the Verb "Pouvoir"

The French verb pouvoir means "to be able [to do something]," or more simply, "can" and "may." It's an extremely common verb in French and has an irregular conjugation that can be tricky for non-native speakers. For this conjugation, it's best to learn it by heart.

Pouvoir and Politeness in French

The French verb pouvoir is very often used to express politeness in French:

• Pourrais-tu me passer l'eau?
  Could you please pass the water?

• Je suis désolée, je ne peux pas venir demain.
  I'm sorry, I cannot come tomorrow.

How to Say "May I" in French

Note that pouvoir has a very formal "je" form to ask for permission: je puis.

Je puis, or puis-je when inverted, is very old-fashioned and is not commonly used today. Using the present conditional, or even the present indicative nowadays is much more common.

• Puis-je vous aider meaning "May I help you" is very formal and old-fashioned.
• Pourrais-je vous aider meaning  "May I help you" is very formal.
• Est-ce que je peux vous aider - meaning "Can I help you" is much more common today.

No Imperative Mood for Pouvoir

You cannot conjugate pouvoir in the imperative. This means that you cannot order someone in this conjugation, for example, "can!" because it makes no sense.

"To Be Able To" Versus "To Be"

Do not mistake the notion of "to be able to" with the verb "to be" (être). "To be able to" is the notion of "can." In English, you cannot say "will you can," but rather you have to say "will you be able to?" 

Conjugation Table for Pouvoir

All About Pouvoir

Pouvoir is also used in many French expressions, some of which we use all the time, for example, "il se peut" and "peut-être" among others.

If you're feeling comfortable with the pouvoir conjugations, learn more about how to use pouvoir in different contexts. 

How to Memorize Your French Verb Conjugations

One way to memorize French conjugations is to first concentrate on the most useful tenses, which are Présent, Imparfait and Passé Composé. Get familiar with using and seeing them in context; once you've mastered them, you're ready to move on to other conjugation types.