Conjugation of potere (can) in Italian
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Potere is one of the most used modal verbs in Italian.
It has an irregular conjugation, and therefore presents many different forms for each tense.
Lesson outline
HideHow to use the verb potere in Italian
The meaning of potere is comparable to the English verbs can and to be able to. Indeed, it is used to convey:
- the capacity, the faculty, the ability, the freedom, the convenience of doing something;
- the possibility of acting in some way or that something will happen, considering the absence of external and individual obstacles.
Therefore, sometimes it could be similar to dovere and it can express the necessity of doing (or not doing) something for ethical reasons.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Voi potete fare ciò che volete. | You can do what you want. |
| Egli può sopportare grandi fatiche. | He can hadle huge efforts. |
| Può essere che accada. | It could happen. |
| Non possiamo permettere che accada! | We cannot let this happen! |
Remember! In the interrogative form, it is used to ask for permission or to ask favours.
e.g. Posso farlo anche io? (Could I do it, too?)
Posso usare il bagno? (Could I use the toilet, please?)
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Conjugation of potere in Italian
Below you can find the conjugation of potere. As you will notice (and as it worth for dovere), it has not the imperative mood.
Indicative
| Present | Present Perfect | Imperfect | Past Perfect | Absolute Past | Preterite Perfect | Future Simple | Future Perfect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | posso | ho potuto | potevo | avevo potuto | potei | ebbi potuto | potrò | avrò potuto |
| Tu | puoi | hai potuto | potevi | avevi potuto | potesti | avesti potuto | potrai | avrai potuto |
| Egli / ella | può | ha potuto | poteva | aveva potuto | poté | ebbe potuto | potrà | avrà potuto |
| Noi | possiamo | abbiamo potuto | potevamo | avevamo potuto | potemmo | avemmo potuto | potremo | avremo potuto |
| Voi | potete | avete potuto | potevate | avevate potuto | poteste | aveste potuto | potrete | avrete potuto |
| Essi / esse | possono | hanno potuto | potevano | avevano potuto | poterono | ebbero potuto | potranno | avranno potuto |
Subjunctive
| Present | Past | Imperfect | Past Perfect | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Che) io | possa | abbia potuto | potessi | avessi potuto |
| (Che) tu | possa | abbia potuto | potessi | avessi potuto |
| (Che) egli / ella | possa | abbia potuto | potesse | avesse potuto |
| (Che) noi | possiamo | abbiamo potuto | potessimo | avessimo potuto |
| (Che) voi | possiate | abbiate potuto | poteste | aveste potuto |
| (Che) essi / esse | possano | abbiano potuto | potessero | avessero potuto |
Conditional
| Present | Past | |
|---|---|---|
| Io | potrei | avrei potuto |
| Tu | potresti | avresti potuto |
| Egli / ella | potrebbe | avrebbe potuto |
| Noi | potremmo | avremmo potuto |
| Voi | potreste | avreste potuto |
| Essi / esse | potrebbero | avrebbero potuto |
The conditional conjugation of potere is used to express suggestions or eventualities. It could be compared to the English uses of may and might.
e.g. Potrebbe piovere domani. (It may rain tomorrow);
Potrebbe essere sulla metro adesso. (He might be on the metro just now).
Infinitive
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| Potere | Avere potuto |
Gerund
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| Potendo | Avendo potuto |
Participle
| Present | Past |
|---|---|
| Potente | potuto |
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of potere
Fill in the missing form of the conjugation of potere.
1. Noi procedere con i festeggiamenti, se volete. - We can proceed with the celebrations, if you don't mind.
2. Il leopardo correre a centinaia di chilometri orari. - The leopard is able to run at a speed of hundreds of km/h.
3. Come voi constatare, la strategia scelta è stata un fallimento. - As you might have noticed, the chosen strategy has been a failure.
4. Io non far altro che restare in silenzio. - All I could do was remaining silent.
5. Dopo l'introduzione, noi passare all'argomento principale. - After the introduction, we could move on to the main topic.
6. Una volta che otterrà la patente, Sergio guidare. - Once he gets his licence, Sergio will be able to drive.
7. Come pretendevi che noi riuscirci? - How can you pretend we could succeed?
8. È un compito difficile, ma credo che lei farcela. - It's a hard task, but I'm confident he can pull that out.
9. finalmente uscire di casa, scapparono al parco. - They ran to the park due to they could finally get out of the house.
Choose the correct conditional form of potere
Solution
Noi _______ (past) vincere questa partita. - We could have won this match.
avremmo potuto
Le ragazze _________ (present) leggere libri per settimane intere. - The girls could read several books for weeks.
potrebbero
Noi _________ (present) decidere se procedere entro domani. - We might decide whether to proceed before tomorrow.
potremmo
Se studi domattina, tu _________ (present) avere un'altra possibilità. - If you study tomorrow morning, you might have one more chance.
potresti
Io ______ (present) aver visto Claudio imbarcarsi su un aereo. - I might have seen Claudio getting board on a plane.
potrei
Le condizioni attuali del ferito __________ (present) peggiorare. - The wounded's current condition might get worse.
potrebbero
Le condizioni del ferito __________ (past) peggiorare. - The wounded's condition could have got worse.
sarebbero potuto
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of potere
Fill in the missing form of the conjugation of potere.
1. Noi procedere con i festeggiamenti, se volete. - We can proceed with the celebrations, if you don't mind.
2. Il leopardo correre a centinaia di chilometri orari. - The leopard is able to run at a speed of hundreds of km/h.
3. Come voi constatare, la strategia scelta è stata un fallimento. - As you might have noticed, the chosen strategy has been a failure.
4. Io non far altro che restare in silenzio. - All I could do was remaining silent.
5. Dopo l'introduzione, noi passare all'argomento principale. - After the introduction, we could move on to the main topic.
6. Una volta che otterrà la patente, Sergio guidare. - Once he gets his licence, Sergio will be able to drive.
7. Come pretendevi che noi riuscirci? - How can you pretend we could succeed?
8. È un compito difficile, ma credo che lei farcela. - It's a hard task, but I'm confident he can pull that out.
9. finalmente uscire di casa, scapparono al parco. - They ran to the park due to they could finally get out of the house.
Choose the correct conditional form of potere
Solution
Noi _______ (past) vincere questa partita. - We could have won this match.
avremmo potuto
Le ragazze _________ (present) leggere libri per settimane intere. - The girls could read several books for weeks.
potrebbero
Noi _________ (present) decidere se procedere entro domani. - We might decide whether to proceed before tomorrow.
potremmo
Se studi domattina, tu _________ (present) avere un'altra possibilità. - If you study tomorrow morning, you might have one more chance.
potresti
Io ______ (present) aver visto Claudio imbarcarsi su un aereo. - I might have seen Claudio getting board on a plane.
potrei
Le condizioni attuali del ferito __________ (present) peggiorare. - The wounded's current condition might get worse.
potrebbero
Le condizioni del ferito __________ (past) peggiorare. - The wounded's condition could have got worse.
sarebbero potuto
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
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Daniela is a wonderful teacher. I really had difficulty properly expressing myself in Italian. Daniela not only tought me the basic rules of Italian grammar, but more importantly, during our many conversations in Italian, she helped me express myself much better and with confidence. I still have some path to go, particulalry deepening my knowledge of grammar. The next phase that I will start in a couple of months will focus on perfectionning that. I hope Daniela will find the time to work with me again
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Hello everyone! I have been teaching Italian to foreigners in Bologna for 10 years, collaborating with local associations. I graduated in History, but later I specialized in teaching Italian by obtaining the Ditals, and in 2019 a master's degree at the Ca 'Foscari University of Venice in "Advanced planning of teaching Italian language and culture to foreigners". I love my job very much and I do it with dedication and passion. I have experience with students of all levels of Italian, from beginners to advanced, and in preparing for language tests. I adapt my teaching methods to the characteristics and training needs of my students, so as to favor a more effective, engaging and motivating learning. The materials I use are authentic, original texts and videos adapted for educational purposes. I love to use computer technologies for the preparation of interactive exercises, especially for the exercise of grammar. If you want to learn Italian in an engaging and motivating way, contact me! I'm waiting for you for a trial lesson!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
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My work as Italian tutor started with my love for languages and for travels. I experienced that learning a new language is a way to know a new culture and to enrich your knowledge of the world.
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I'm a certified Italian teacher based in my hometown Florence. I spent my childhood in a small village in the Chianti countryside and I always loved to explore curious aspects of different languages. I studied Arabic, English, French and Spanish and I like to help students with practical insights into Italian language to better fix the structures and improve pronunciation, grammar and conversation. After my studies (master degree in teaching Italian as a second language + CEDILS certificate - teaching Italian to foreign students), I taught in different contexts and countries (IIC of Beirut, private schools in Prague, companies in Malta and Florence and to many many private students!).
I try each time to adapt to every student's needs, with mainly one goal: making every student enthusiastic about the learning process and more and more confident. I use a communicative approach and I can offer classes of Italian languages, cinema, culture, gestures, focuses on grammar, conversation, etc.
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Hello my name is Lucia and I am a native Italian speaker.
I have a degree as an interpreter for English and French so I know how hard it may be to learn a foreign language. I work as a free-lance interpreter and private English and French teacher. I have a strong passion for languages which I have been studying for many years. I am studying Spanish now and always trying to improve my English and French knowledge. I am a friendly person and my lessons mainly focus on conversation. As a teacher I am very patient and I always propose tailor-made lessons with respect to your needs. I am really enthusiastic about being a teacher because this activity allows you to share your culture and habits with foreign people. Learning a language is also learning a new culture.
N. .
Lucia is a very engaging and sympathetic teacher. And although we have only done a couple of lessons we are feeling much more confident about the possibility of being able to converse in Italian. Thank you Lucia!
Lucia Maria C.
Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
L. K.
Wonderful teacher, thanks to her methodology and her pedagogical skills I could to reach the required level of italian language even without living in Italy. Highly recommended!!
Thanks, Lana. Your Italian is growing more and more and I am sure that the next big goal will soon arrive! :-D
Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
P. B.
Daniela is a wonderful teacher. I really had difficulty properly expressing myself in Italian. Daniela not only tought me the basic rules of Italian grammar, but more importantly, during our many conversations in Italian, she helped me express myself much better and with confidence. I still have some path to go, particulalry deepening my knowledge of grammar. The next phase that I will start in a couple of months will focus on perfectionning that. I hope Daniela will find the time to work with me again
Daniela V.
Hello everyone! I have been teaching Italian to foreigners in Bologna for 10 years, collaborating with local associations. I graduated in History, but later I specialized in teaching Italian by obtaining the Ditals, and in 2019 a master's degree at the Ca 'Foscari University of Venice in "Advanced planning of teaching Italian language and culture to foreigners". I love my job very much and I do it with dedication and passion. I have experience with students of all levels of Italian, from beginners to advanced, and in preparing for language tests. I adapt my teaching methods to the characteristics and training needs of my students, so as to favor a more effective, engaging and motivating learning. The materials I use are authentic, original texts and videos adapted for educational purposes. I love to use computer technologies for the preparation of interactive exercises, especially for the exercise of grammar. If you want to learn Italian in an engaging and motivating way, contact me! I'm waiting for you for a trial lesson!
D. .
Cristiana is a delightful person and a very effective teacher. As a beginner, my almost nonexistent Italian skills and understanding requires a patient teacher who is willing to take the time to ensure I understand concepts, usage etc. before moving on. I highly recommend her as a tutor.
Cristiana A.