31 - How to Conjugate French Verb "Pouvoir" (to Be Able to) (Present Tense)

 
 

Know how to conjugate the French verb "pouvoir" (can, to be able to) in the present tense? 🤓 Listen to this lesson to find out!

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Links & Cheat Sheet

Transcript

Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!

Hi everyone, bonjour à tous! Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! 💗 This is episode number 31, numéro 31. Thanks for joining me here. In today's episode, you'll learn how to conjugate the French verb "pouvoir" which means can or to be able to, in the present tense. First, we'll learn the conjugation of pouvoir; then we'll see some examples and to finish we'll do our usual recap.

Sounds good? Super. 

Before we start, go and download your lesson's cheat sheet. So you can read the words and hear them at the same time. C'est gratuit, it's free. 

Once you've listened to this lesson, it's time to practice! Go and download your lesson's exercises; C'est aussi gratuit, it's also free.

Vous êtes prêts? Are you ready? C'est parti!

So, as I said before, the verb we're learning today is "pouvoir" which means "can or to be able to." 

I know I always say that, but this is an important verb to learn because it's just a very common verb. And because it's irregular, it can be quite tricky for beginners to remember, so really you've got no other option than learning it by heart. Which is what I want you to do today.

I'm not going to go into the complicated past and futures tenses yet; we stick with the present tense for now. 

CONJUGATION FRENCH VERB “POUVOIR”

Alright, let's not make you wait any longer; here's the conjugation in the present tense of "pouvoir" (to be able to) :

Répétez après moi, repeat after me. 

  • je peux (I can, I'm able to)

  • tu peux (you can - informal) 

  • il peut (he can)

  • elle peut (she can)

  • on peut (we can - informal)

  • nous pouvons (we can - formal)

  • vous pouvez (you can - formal)

  • ils peuvent (they can - masculine)

  • elles peuvent (they can - feminine)

PRONUNCIATION

Now let's talk briefly about pronunciation. 

For this, I need you to take a look at your cheat sheet, or even the transcript. Here, if you look at the endings of this verb, you should not pronounce the 'x,' you should not pronounce the 't,' you should not pronounce the 's', and you should definitely not pronounce the 'ent.' 

I know that sounds a bit crazy, but that's the way it is. 😂

Also, It's "je peux" not "je pue." "Je pue" has a completely different meaning. It means "I stink." So, yes, maybe avoid making that mistake.

👉 Now, I explain these pronunciation rules in my course, French Pronunciation Made Easy. It's the complete A-Z course for French beginners who struggle with their spoken French. So if it sounds like you, go on my website and check out if the course right for you. 

EXAMPLES

Très bien. Now let's see some examples of the French verb "pouvoir" conjugated in the present tense. 

  • Je peux t'aider à apprendre le français. (I can help you learn French.)

  • Tu peux aller acheter du pain? (Can you please buy some bread?) 🥖

  • Il peut conduire notre voiture. (He can drive our car.) 🚙

  • Elle ne peut pas travailler aujourd'hui. (She can't work today.) 

A quick note here, in this sentence, I'm using the negation. “ne… pas” (not) but we'll do an episode on how to use the negation very soon, don't worry.

  • On peut partager une pizza. (We can share a pizza.) 🍕

  • Nous pouvons venir ce soir. (We can come tonight.)

  • Vous pouvez me donner l'heure, s'il vous plaît? (Can you please tell me time?) ⏰

  • Ils peuvent sortir jusqu'à minuit. (They can go out until midnight.)

  • Elles peuvent jouer dans le jardin. (They can play in the garden. )

Ok, super! That's it for the examples! 

RECAP

Now, let's do a quick recap of what we've learned:

The conjugation of "pouvoir" in the present tense is: 

  • je peux (I can, I'm able to)

  • tu peux (you can) 

  • il peut (he can)

  • elle peut (she can)

  • on peut (we can - informal)

  • nous pouvons (we can - formal)

  • vous pouvez (you can)

  • ils peuvent (they can - masculine)

  • elles peuvent (they can - feminine)

Alright! On a fini notre leçon! We've finished our lesson. If you've liked this episode, let me know and leave me a comment over at mathildekien.com or on my instagram. I'd love to hear from you. Now don't forget to download your lesson's exercises. It's free. Thanks for your time. I'll talk to you next week.

Merci beaucoup et à bientôt. 💗

Mathilde Kien4 Comments