Skip to content
fluentbyear

ITALIAN VERB

potere

to be able to, can

  • #5 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: potuto
  • Gerund: potendo

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I am able to
  2. tu you are able to
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she is able to
  4. noi we are able to
  5. voi you all are able to
  6. loro they are able to

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I was able to
  2. tu you were able to
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she was able to
  4. noi we were able to
  5. voi you all were able to
  6. loro they were able to

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to be able to
  2. tu you used to be able to
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to be able to
  4. noi we used to be able to
  5. voi you all used to be able to
  6. loro they used to be able to

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will be able to
  2. tu you will be able to
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will be able to
  4. noi we will be able to
  5. voi you all will be able to
  6. loro they will be able to

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would be able to
  2. tu you would be able to
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would be able to
  4. noi we would be able to
  5. voi you all would be able to
  6. loro they would be able to

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I be able to
  2. tu (that) you be able to
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she be able to
  4. noi (that) we be able to
  5. voi (that) you all be able to
  6. loro (that) they be able to

How to use potere

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Posso aprire un po' la finestra?

    May I open the window a little?

  2. Past

    Non ho potuto chiamarti, scusa.

    I couldn't call you, sorry.

  3. Imperfect

    Da piccoli non potevamo uscire la sera.

    As kids we couldn't go out in the evening.

  4. Future

    Potremo vederci la settimana prossima.

    We'll be able to see each other next week.

  5. Conditional

    Potrebbe ripetere, per favore?

    Could you repeat, please?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Spero che possiate venire alla festa.

    I hope you can come to the party.

Good to know

  • Posso? on its own asks may I?; può darsi is maybe.
  • Potere is can or may; sapere is can in the sense of knowing how: so nuotare.

Where you hear potere

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Italian · Beginner Level 1

  • Non posso restare a Roma. I can't stay in Rome.
  • Ieri non ho potuto venire a Fontelupo. Yesterday I couldn't come to Fontelupo.
  • Domani posso venire con te. Tomorrow I can come with you.

Italian · Beginner Level 2

  • Non posso restare a Roma. I can't stay in Rome.
  • Ieri non ho potuto venire a Fontelupo. Yesterday I couldn't come to Fontelupo.
  • Domani posso venire con te. Tomorrow I can come with you.
19
The Key

Beginner Level 1 · Non posso. · Posso.

Needs a subscription 7
Looking for Work at Bruna's

Beginner Level 2 · Bene. Può iniziare domani? · Sì, posso. A che ora?

Needs a subscription 3
The Roofer's Visit

Beginner Level 3 · Può iniziare presto?

Needs a subscription 14
The Roof Is Done

Beginner Level 3 · Già? Posso vedere?

Needs a subscription 18
Christmas in the Square

Beginner Level 3 · Io posso! Quando?

Needs a subscription 23
The Fireplace

Beginner Level 3 · Laura, posso accendere il camino?

Needs a subscription 7
The Menu Meeting

Intermediate Level 2 · Potremmo fare le orecchiette.

Needs a subscription 12
The Photographer

Intermediate Level 2 · Potrebbe spostarsi a sinistra? · Potrebbe aiutarmi? · Prego. Potrebbe mandarmi la foto?

Needs a subscription 16
Ciro's Doubts

Intermediate Level 2 · Laura, posso parlarti?

Needs a subscription 23
Donato's Offer

Intermediate Level 2 · Sì. Potrebbe dirigere la cucina.

Needs a subscription 21
Laura's Proposal

Intermediate Level 3 · Potrei lavorare da Bruna, come prima.

Needs a subscription 10
The Video Call

Advanced Level 1 · Parla benissimo! Possiamo darci del tu?

Needs a subscription

And 18 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ere verb.