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SpanishConjugationSubjunctive

Poder (to be able to) · Subjunctive

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Poder in the Spanish present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo) is: yo pueda, tú puedas, él/ella/usted pueda, nosotros/as podamos, vosotros/as podáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes puedan. The present subjunctive of poder keeps the o→ue stem change in the stressed forms (pueda, puedas, pueda, puedan) and reverts to 'o' in nosotros/vosotros (podamos, podáis). It appears after triggers of doubt, emotion, or hypothetical ability.

poder conjugation in the Present Subjunctive (Presente de subjuntivo)
To Be AblePoder
I be able
yo pueda
you be able
tú puedas
he/she be able
él/ella/usted pueda
we be able
nosotros/as podamos
you be able
vosotros/as podáis
they be able
ellos/ellas/ustedes puedan
Examples

Poder (to be able to) in context

Sentences that use poder in the subjunctive. Tap each to hear it.

Mi jefa duda que pueda terminar a tiempo.

My boss doubts I can finish on time.

Espero que puedas venir a la fiesta.

I hope you can come to the party.

Es posible que pueda ayudarnos.

It is possible that he/she can help us.

Quieren que podamos descansar.

They want us to be able to rest.

Espero que podáis entenderme.

I hope you can understand me.

Dudo que puedan llegar a tiempo.

I doubt they can arrive on time.

Tip

Working with the subjunctive

The subjunctive isn't a tense — it's a mood. It signals that the speaker views the action as uncertain, desired, or evaluated rather than asserted as fact. Triggers come in four families: WEIRDO (Wishes, Emotion, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojalá) is the standard mnemonic. When you see "que" after one of these triggers, the verb that follows is almost always subjunctive. The irregular subjunctive stem comes from the yo form of the present indicative — learn "hago" and you know "haga" is the subjunctive stem.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate poder in the present subjunctive?
The present subjunctive of poder is: yo pueda, tú puedas, él/ella/usted pueda, nosotros/as podamos, vosotros/as podáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes puedan. The o→ue stem-change applies in the stressed forms; nosotros and vosotros keep 'o' because stress shifts to the ending.
When do I need to use the subjunctive of poder?
Use it after triggers of doubt, emotion, will, hope, or impersonal expressions: 'Espero que puedas venir' (I hope you can come), 'Dudo que pueda hacerlo' (I doubt he can do it), 'Es posible que podamos llegar' (It's possible we can arrive). Any expression that introduces uncertainty about the ability triggers the subjunctive.
Why doesn't 'podamos' have the stem-change?
Stem-changing verbs only change when the stem itself is stressed. In 'podamos' and 'podáis', the stress falls on the ending (-amos, -áis), not on the stem 'pod-', so the 'o' stays unchanged. The same pattern affects volver (volvamos, not vuelvamos), encontrar (encontremos), and every other -ar/-er stem-changer.
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