How French works
When you want to express the idea of being able to do something, the most common way is to use pouvoir plus the verb expressing what it is you can do. Pouvoir conjugates as follows:
| pouvoir to be able | ||
|---|---|---|
| je | peux | |
| tu | peux | |
| il / elle | peut | |
| nous | pouvons | |
| vous | pouvez | |
| ils / elles | pouvent | |
Like can in English, pouvoir is usually used in front of a verb :
Je ne peux pas venir ce soir
I can’t come this evening
Elle peut t’aider
She can help you
Nous pouvons arriver à 5 heures
We can arrive at 5 o'clock
Ils peuvent jouer dans le jardin
They can play in the garden
When talking about activities in French you often use the verb savoir and not pouvoir:
Sais-tu jouer au squash?
Can you play squash?
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