pouvoir
to be able to, canIrregularਇਹ ਕਿਰਿਆ ਨਿਯਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਮੰਨਦੀ — ਹਰ ਰੂਪ ਵੱਖਰਾ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਨਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
| Person | Presentnow, habits | Passé composécompleted past | Imparfaitongoing past | Futur procheabout to | Futur simplewill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | peuxsounds the same as another form in this tense | ai pu | pouvaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vais pouvoir | pourraisounds the same as another form in this tense |
| tu | peuxsounds the same as another form in this tense | as pusounds the same as another form in this tense | pouvaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vas pouvoirsounds the same as another form in this tense | pourrassounds the same as another form in this tense |
| il/elle | peutsounds the same as another form in this tense | a pusounds the same as another form in this tense | pouvaitsounds the same as another form in this tense | va pouvoirsounds the same as another form in this tense | pourrasounds the same as another form in this tense |
| nous | pouvons | avons pu | pouvions | allons pouvoir | pourronssounds the same as another form in this tense |
| vous | pouvez | avez pu | pouviez | allez pouvoir | pourrezsounds the same as another form in this tense |
| ils/elles | peuvent | ont pu | pouvaientsounds the same as another form in this tense | vont pouvoir | pourrontsounds the same as another form in this tense |
Now, and habits. peux covers both "I be able to, can" and "I am be able to, caning" — French has no separate continuous form.
A completed past action. avoir conjugates and pu does not — ai pu.
An ongoing or habitual past. Built on the nous-present stem, so pouvons gives you pouvais.
About to happen. aller conjugates; pouvoir never moves — the easier future to produce under pressure.
Will happen. Built on pourr- — not the infinitive pouvoir. The conditional reuses this stem.
Three more forms worth knowing
Not among the five TEF/TCF-scored tenses above, but common past A1–A2.
Passé récentjust happened
| je | viens de pouvoir |
|---|---|
| tu | viens de pouvoir |
| il/elle | vient de pouvoir |
| nous | venons de pouvoir |
| vous | venez de pouvoir |
| ils/elles | viennent de pouvoir |
Impératifcommands — no je/il/ils form
| tu | peux |
|---|---|
| nous | pouvons |
| vous | pouvez |
Gérondifwhile doing — one invariant form
en pouvant
What this table tells you about pouvoir
The past participle is pu, and it takes avoir in the passé composé — so it never changes shape, whoever the subject is. No agreement to remember here.
The futur simple is built on pourr-, which is not the infinitive pouvoir. This stem has to be learned, and it is the same one the conditional uses later.
In the present, je, tu and il/elle are one sound: peux, peut — indistinguishable spoken. Only nous, vous and ils/elles carry an audible ending.
The imparfait is built on the nous-present stem, so once you know pouvons you already know pouvais, pouvait and pouvaient. Futur proche keeps pouvoir untouched.
Worth knowing about pouvoir
In passé composé, pouvoir often carries a nuance of achievement or success rather than mere ability: 'j'ai pu finir' means 'I managed to finish,' implying successful completion.
The present-tense stem 'peuv-' is completely unrelated to the infinitive 'pouvoir,' with singular forms 'peux, peux, peut' and plural 'peuvent' representing the most radical irregularity in French verb conjugation.
Je peux vous aider demain.
I can help you tomorrow.
ਮੈਂ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਕੱਲ ਮਦਦ ਕਰ ਸਕਦਾ ਹਾਂ।