The verb pouvoir can be used in several contexts in French - let's take a closer look at them.
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Usage in the Sentence
Rule 1: The verb pouvoir is followed by an infinitive and means “can”, in the sense of:
- to have permission to
French
- having the opportunity to do something.
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Pouvoir and Politeness
Rule 2: The verb pouvoir is is often used in the French language as a way to express politeness:
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2
It can also be used in place of the English "May I?" However, depending on the form you put the verb pouvoir in, you can achieve different levels of formality.
- For example, je puis or puis-je will be very formal and even old-fashioned:
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- Using the conditional mood in the present tense or even the presente indicative tense is much more common today:
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Look Out!
Rule 3: Be careful, for a skill, we use savoir:
French
Conjugation
Rule 4: The verb pouvoir is a common French verb, but is irregular. Here is how it's conjugated in the present:
| je | peux |
| tu | peux |
| il, elle, on | peut |
| nous | pouvons |
| vous | pouvez |
| ils, elles | peuvent |
Quiz
1/3Je _ vous aider avec les devoirs.