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pouvoir

"pouvoir" means "can, to be able to" in French. It is number 82 on the frequency list, in A1 (verb).

Meaning

can, to be able to; may; to be possible

IPA

/pu.vwaʁ/

Forms in this course

peux, peut, pourrait, pu, pouvez, pourrais

Level

A1

Practice this word

Updated October 21, 2026

Example sentences

• Je peux.
  I can.
  Tatoeba: sacredceltic / sundown
• Oui, tu peux.
  Yes, you can.
  Tatoeba: Julien_PDC / jaxhere
• Tu peux le faire !
  You can do it.
  Tatoeba: ANH_DAO / brauliobezerra

Learned together

In the course, "pouvoir" is in the same group as these words. You master them as a set.

• être to be
• avoir to have
• faire to do, to make
• aller to go
• savoir to know
• vouloir to want, wish, desire
• dire to say, to tell
• voir to see
• falloir to be necessary, must (il faut)

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