pouvoir
French edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Middle French povoir, from Old French povoir, pooir, from earlier Old French poeir, podeir, from Vulgar Latin potēre, regularization of Latin posse. The /-v-/ was eventually added, after the loss of the intervocalic dental, to break hiatus. The archaic 1SG present indicative puis is from a Vulgar Latin *posseō (rather than possō), for which cf. Old Catalan puix.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
pouvoir
- can, to be able to
- Je peux venir ce soir. ― I can come this evening.
- 2018, Zaz (lyrics and music), “Nos Vies”:
- On est des étoiles dans ce ciel bleu clair et on mettra les voiles quand on pourra le faire.
- We are stars in that clear blue sky, and we will set sail when we can.
- may
- désastre qui peut nous frapper ― disaster which may strike us
- (impersonal, reflexive) to be possible; may, could be
- Il se peut que je sois malade.
- (literally) It could be that I'm ill / (more naturally) I may be ill. / I could be ill.
Usage notes edit
- Pouvoir is not used with verbs relating to the five senses:
- Je te vois ― I (can) see you (not “Je peux te voir”, which is “I can see (i.e. meet) you”)
- Regarding the use of pouvoir and savoir, three sub-senses must be distinguished:
- Savoir is used for “know how to do something, have learnt something”.
- Je sais nager. ― I can swim. / I know how to swim. / I've learnt to swim.
- Pouvoir is generally used for “be currently capable of doing something”, but Belgian French uses savoir.
- Je ne peux pas dormir. (France) / Je ne sais pas dormir. (Belgium) ― I can't sleep. / I'm not currently able to fall asleep.
- Pouvoir is always used for “be free, allowed, unhindered to do something”.
- Je ne peux pas sortir. ― I can't go out. / I'm not allowed to go out. / Something prevents me from going out.
- Savoir is used for “know how to do something, have learnt something”.
- Puis (/pɥi/) is an archaic form of the first person present indicative peux. It is still used in inversion or with the conjunction si:
- Puis-je vous aider? ― May I help you?
- Si je puis me permettre… ― If you don't mind…
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of pouvoir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive | simple | pouvoir | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
present participle or gerund1 | simple | pouvant /pu.vɑ̃/ | |||||
compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
past participle | pu /py/ | ||||||
singular | plural | ||||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | peux /pø/2 |
peux /pø/ |
peut /pø/ |
pouvons /pu.vɔ̃/ |
pouvez /pu.ve/ |
peuvent /pœv/ |
imperfect | pouvais /pu.vɛ/ |
pouvais /pu.vɛ/ |
pouvait /pu.vɛ/ |
pouvions /pu.vjɔ̃/ |
pouviez /pu.vje/ |
pouvaient /pu.vɛ/ | |
past historic4 | pus /py/ |
pus /py/ |
put /py/ |
pûmes /pym/ |
pûtes /pyt/ |
purent /pyʁ/ | |
future | pourrai /pu.ʁe/ |
pourras /pu.ʁa/ |
pourra /pu.ʁa/ |
pourrons /pu.ʁɔ̃/ |
pourrez /pu.ʁe/ |
pourront /pu.ʁɔ̃/ | |
conditional | pourrais /pu.ʁɛ/ |
pourrais /pu.ʁɛ/ |
pourrait /pu.ʁɛ/ |
pourrions /pu.ʁjɔ̃/ |
pourriez /pu.ʁje/ |
pourraient /pu.ʁɛ/ | |
(compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
past anterior4 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | puisse /pɥis/3 |
puisses /pɥis/ |
puisse /pɥis/ |
puissions /pɥi.sjɔ̃/ |
puissiez /pɥi.sje/ |
puissent /pɥis/ |
imperfect4 | pusse /pys/ |
pusses /pys/ |
pût /py/ |
pussions /py.sjɔ̃/ |
pussiez /py.sje/ |
pussent /pys/ | |
(compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
pluperfect4 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | – | – | ||||
simple | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 puis when inverted. | |||||||
3 puissé when inverted. | |||||||
4 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). |
This verb is impersonal and is conjugated only in the third-person singular.
Conjugation of se pouvoir (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive | simple | se pouvoir | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
compound | s'être + past participle | ||||||
present participle or gerund1 | simple | se pouvant /sə pu.vɑ̃/ | |||||
compound | ayant or étant + past participle | ||||||
past participle | pu /py/ | ||||||
singular | plural | ||||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | —2 | — | se peut /sə pø/ |
— | — | — |
imperfect | — | — | se pouvait /sə pu.vɛ/ |
— | — | — | |
past historic4 | — | — | se put /sə py/ |
— | — | — | |
future | — | — | se pourra /sə pu.ʁa/ |
— | — | — | |
conditional | — | — | se pourrait /sə pu.ʁɛ/ |
— | — | — | |
(compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of s'être + past participle | |||||
pluperfect | imperfect indicative of s'être + past participle | ||||||
past anterior4 | past historic of s'être + past participle | ||||||
future perfect | future of s'être + past participle | ||||||
conditional perfect | conditional of s'être + past participle | ||||||
subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
(simple tenses) |
present | —3 | — | se puisse /sə pɥis/ |
— | — | — |
imperfect4 | — | — | se pût /sə py/ |
— | — | — | |
(compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of s'être + past participle | |||||
pluperfect4 | imperfect subjunctive of s'être + past participle | ||||||
imperative | – | – | – | ||||
simple | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
compound | — | simple imperative of s'être + past participle | — | simple imperative of s'être + past participle | simple imperative of s'être + past participle | — | |
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 puis when inverted. | |||||||
3 puissé when inverted. | |||||||
4 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). |
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Noun edit
pouvoir m (plural pouvoirs)
- (countable or uncountable) power
- prendre le pouvoir ― to take power, to seize power
- authority
- (law) power of attorney
Derived terms edit
- abus de pouvoir
- au pouvoir
- fondé de pouvoir
- passation de pouvoir
- pleins pouvoirs
- pouvoir d’achat
- pouvoir de marché
- pouvoir toujours courir
- prendre le pouvoir
- vouloir c’est pouvoir
References edit
- “pouvoir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.