B1 · Can, must, want
May, can, should
poder covers can and may, deber gives the advice.
At a glance
- Remember
- Learnt is saber, allowed and possible is poder, advised is deberías.
- Form
- ¿Puedo pasar?permission
- Signal words
- poder
- saber
- deber
- deberías
- no se puede
- Trap
- Wrong:Puedo hablar tres idiomas.Right:Sé hablar tres idiomas.
Your turn
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Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Spanish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) person ending negation question marker
| permission | ¿Puedo pasar? |
| ability at the moment | Hoy no puedo salir. |
| learnt skill | Sé conducir. |
| advice | Deberías llamarle. |
| obligation | Debes terminarlo hoy. |
| prohibition | No se puede fumar aquí. |
| I can | (yo) puedo |
| you can (tú) | (tú) puedes |
| he, she can / you can (usted) | (él, ella, usted) puede |
| we can | (nosotros) podemos |
| you can (vosotros) | (vosotros) podéis |
| they can / you can (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) pueden |
| I know how to | (yo) sé |
| you know how to (tú) | (tú) sabes |
| he, she knows how to / you know how to (usted) | (él, ella, usted) sabe |
| we know how to | (nosotros) sabemos |
| you know how to (vosotros) | (vosotros) sabéis |
| they know how to / you know how to (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) saben |
| I must | (yo) debo |
| you must (tú) | (tú) debes |
| he, she must / you must (usted) | (él, ella, usted) debe |
| we must | (nosotros) debemos |
| you must (vosotros) | (vosotros) debéis |
| they must / you must (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) deben |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
poder covers permission and momentary possibility.
¿Puedo abrir la ventana?May I open the window?
saber covers skills you have learnt.
Sabe tocar la guitarra.He can play the guitar.
Advice goes in the conditional of deber.
Deberías dormir más.You should sleep more.
deber de expresses a supposition, not an obligation.
Debe de estar en casa.He must be at home.
Example sentences
¿Puedes ayudarme un momento?Can you help me for a moment?
No sé cocinar muy bien.I cannot cook very well.
Deberíamos salir ya.We should go now.
Aquí no se puede aparcar.You cannot park here.
6 more example sentences
¿Sabes usar este programa?Do you know how to use this program?
No pude terminar a tiempo.I could not finish in time.
Deberías haberlo dicho antes.You should have said so earlier.
¿Se puede pasar?May one come through?
Debemos respetar las normas.We must respect the rules.
Puede que llueva esta tarde.It may rain this afternoon.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
For «I can swim» poder gets picked: Puedo nadar. That means «I am allowed to» or «I can manage it today». Somebody who learnt it says Sé nadar. The other way round, No sé venir means nothing — for «I cannot come» it is No puedo venir.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
English has «can» and «may» for ability and permission; Spanish has only poder. ¿Puedo entrar? is «may I come in?», Hoy no puedo nadar is «I cannot swim today» — because of an injury, say. Context decides.
For a learnt skill, though, Spanish has saber: Sé nadar is «I can swim (I learnt how)». The difference from puedo nadar is the one between «I can play the piano» and «I can get to a piano today» — a distinction English makes only by context.
Advice takes deber or deberías: Deberías descansar is «you should rest». Debes descansar is stricter — closer to «you must».
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The verbs on this page, in every form: poder · deber · estar · salir · saber · abrir · dormir · tocar