pouvoir

pouvoir lat.-frz. befähigt

Inherited from Middle French povoir, from Old French povoir, pooir, from earlier Old French poeir, podeir, from Vulgar Latin potēre, regularization of Latin posse. The /-v-/ was eventually added, after the loss of the intervocalic dental, to break hiatus. The archaic 1SG present indicative puis is from a Vulgar Latin *posseō (rather than possō), for which cf. Old Catalan puix.

Abgeleitet vom mfrz. povoir, vom afrz. povoir, pooir, vom früheren afrz. poeir, podeir, vom vlat. potēre, Regularisierung von lat. posse. Das /-v-/ wurde schließlich nach dem Verlust des intervokalischen Dentals hinzugefügt, um den Hiatus zu unterbrechen. Der archaische 1SG Präsens Indikativ puis stammt von einem vulgärlateinischen *posseō (anstatt possō), vgl. hierzu Altkatalanisch puix.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pu.vwaʁ/

Audio:

Duration: 2 seconds.0:02

• (Louisiana) IPA^(key): [pu.wɒɾ]
• Rhymes: -waʁ

Verb

pouvoir

1. can, to be able to [ quotations ▼]

   Je peux venir ce soir. ― I can come this evening.

2. may

   désastre qui peut nous frapper ― disaster which may strike us

3. (impersonal, reflexive) to be possible; may, could be

   Il se peut que je sois malade.

1. (literally) It could be that I'm ill / (more naturally) I may be ill. / I could be ill.

Usage notes

• Pouvoir is not used with verbs relating to the five senses:

  Je te vois ― I (can) see you (not “Je peux te voir”, which is “I can see (i.e. meet) you”)

• Regarding the use of pouvoir and savoir, three sub-senses must be distinguished:
  • Savoir is used for “know how to do something, have learnt something”.

    Je sais nager. ― I can swim. / I know how to swim. / I've learnt to swim.

  • Pouvoir is generally used for “be currently capable of doing something”, but Belgian French uses savoir.

    Je ne peux pas dormir. (France) / Je ne sais pas dormir. (Belgium) ― I can't sleep. / I'm not currently able to fall asleep.

  • Pouvoir is always used for “be free, allowed, unhindered to do something”.

    Je ne peux pas sortir. ― I can't go out. / I'm not allowed to go out. / Something prevents me from going out.

• Puis (/pɥi/) is an archaic form of the first person present indicative peux. It is still used in inversion or with the conjunction si:

  Puis-je vous aider? ― May I help you?