Is "poder" regular or irregular in Spanish?

"poder" is an irregular Spanish verb. It does not follow the standard -er conjugation pattern and must be memorized.

How do you conjugate "poder" in the present tense?

In the Presente, "poder" conjugates as: puedes, puedo, pueden, and more. See the full table above.

What is the past tense of "poder" in Spanish?

In the Pretérito Indefinido, "poder" conjugates as: pudiste, pude, pudieron, and more. See the full table above.

How common is "poder" in Spanish?

"poder" (to be able to, to can) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish.

Spanish · Verb · #6 most common

poder

to be able to

to can

Irregular-er ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

Presente

Habitual actions, general truths, and what's happening now.

yo	puedo
tú	puedes
él/ella	puede
nosotros	podemos
vosotros	podéis
ellos/ellas	pueden

Yo puedo ir al cine esta noche.

I can go to the movies tonight.

Ella puede hablar tres idiomas.

She can speak three languages.

Pretérito Indefinido

Completed actions at a specific point in the past.

yo	pude
tú	pudiste
él/ella	pudo
nosotros	pudimos
vosotros	pudisteis
ellos/ellas	pudieron

Ayer no pude encontrar mis llaves.

Yesterday I couldn't find my keys.

Ellos pudieron terminar el proyecto a tiempo.

They were able to finish the project on time.

Imperfecto

Ongoing or repeated actions in the past, descriptions, and background context.

yo	podía
tú	podías
él/ella	podía
nosotros	podíamos
vosotros	podíais
ellos/ellas	podían

Cuando era niño, podía correr muy rápido.

When I was a child, I could run very fast.

Ella podía tocar el piano desde pequeña.

She could play the piano since she was little.

Futuro Simple

Future actions, predictions, and speculation about the present.

yo	podré
tú	podrás
él/ella	podrá
nosotros	podremos
vosotros	podréis
ellos/ellas	podrán

Mañana podré visitar a mis abuelos.

Tomorrow I will be able to visit my grandparents.

Ellos podrán viajar a Europa el próximo año.

They will be able to travel to Europe next year.

Condicional

Hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future-in-the-past.

yo	podría
tú	podrías
él/ella	podría
nosotros	podríamos
vosotros	podríais
ellos/ellas	podrían

Yo podría ayudarte si tuviera tiempo.

I could help you if I had time.

Ella podría asistir a la reunión si no llueve.

She could attend the meeting if it doesn't rain.

Subjuntivo Presente

Wishes, doubts, emotions, and subordinate clauses expressing uncertainty.

yo	pueda
tú	puedas
él/ella	pueda
nosotros	podamos
vosotros	podáis
ellos/ellas	puedan

Es importante que yo pueda asistir a la conferencia.

It's important that I can attend the conference.

Espero que ellos puedan resolver el problema.

I hope they can solve the problem.

Subjuntivo Imperfecto

Past subjunctive contexts, hypothetical si-clauses, and polite suggestions.

yo	pudiera
tú	pudieras
él/ella	pudiera
nosotros	pudiéramos
vosotros	pudierais
ellos/ellas	pudieran

Si yo pudiera, iría a la fiesta.

If I could, I would go to the party.

Ojalá que ella pudiera venir con nosotros.

I wish she could come with us.

"poder" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions

Is "poder" regular or irregular in Spanish?: "poder" is an irregular Spanish verb. It does not follow the standard -er conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
How do you conjugate "poder" in the present tense?: In the Presente, "poder" conjugates as: puedes, puedo, pueden, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "poder" in Spanish?: In the Pretérito Indefinido, "poder" conjugates as: pudiste, pude, pudieron, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "poder" in Spanish?: "poder" (to be able to, to can) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish.