A1 · Can, must, want
poder and querer: can, want
Two stem-changing verbs, with the infinitive behind.
At a glance
- Remember
- Ordinary verbs, ordinarily conjugated — and the infinitive stands bare behind them.
- Form
- (yo) puedoI can
- Signal words
- puedo
- quiero
- podemos
- ¿puedes?
- querría
- Trap
- Wrong:No puedo a venir mañana.Right:No puedo venir mañana.
Your turn
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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
| 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 want | (yo) quiero |
| you want (tú) | (tú) quieres |
| he, she wants / you want (usted) | (él, ella, usted) quiere |
| we want | (nosotros) queremos |
| you want (vosotros) | (vosotros) queréis |
| they want / you want (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) quieren |
| with an infinitive | No puedo venir. / Quiero descansar. |
| polite | Querría un café. / ¿Podría ayudarme? |
| to love | Te quiero mucho. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
The infinitive follows directly, with no preposition.
No puedo salir esta noche.I cannot go out tonight.
Both change the stem vowel, except with nosotros and vosotros.
Podemos empezar cuando queráis.We can start whenever you like.
poder covers both «can» and «may».
¿Puedo pasar?May I come in?
The request goes in the conditional.
Querría dos billetes, por favor.I would like two tickets, please.
Example sentences
¿Puedes echarme una mano?Can you give me a hand?
No quiero molestar.I do not want to be a nuisance.
Aquí no se puede aparcar.You cannot park here.
¿Qué quieres tomar?What would you like to drink?
6 more example sentences
¿Puedo probarme esta camisa?Can I try this shirt on?
Quiero aprender a cocinar.I want to learn to cook.
No podemos llegar antes de las nueve.We cannot be there before nine.
¿Quieres que te ayude?Shall I help you?
Puede que llueva mañana.It may rain tomorrow.
Te quiero, ya lo sabes.I love you, you know that.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
An a or a de gets put between the verb and the infinitive, because English says «able to go» and many Spanish verbs do want one. poder and querer want none: puedo ir, not puedo a ir. Whether a preposition comes belongs to the verb and is learnt with it.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
poder (o→ue) is can, may and to be able to; querer (e→ie) is to want and to like. Both conjugate quite normally, and the infinitive follows with no preposition: puedo ir, quiero comer.
querer has a second meaning: with a person as its object it means to love. Te quiero is the ordinary declaration — commoner than te amo, which sounds ceremonious.
A polite request does not go in the present. Quiero un café is a demand; querría or me gustaría is a request. English draws the same line between «I want» and «I'd like», and the difference in a café is between a customer and an unpleasant one.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: poder · querer · salir · empezar · pasar