The irregular verb pouvoir (to be able to, can) is a shoe verb in the present tense and has two forms for je. Puis‐je is often used in questions:
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je peux (puis)
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nous pouvons
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tu peux
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vous pouvez
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il peut
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ils peuvent
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The use of the verb pouvoir:
May express ability or success or the lack thereof
- Je peux cuisiner. (I can cook.)
- Il n'a pas pu réussir. (He couldn't succeed or He wasn't able to succeed.)
- Pourras‐tu conduire? (Will you be able to drive?)
May express possibility or permissibility
- Est‐ce que je peux y aller? (May I go there? or Am I allowed to go there?)
- Puis‐je aller au cinéma? (May I go to the movies?)
- Il peut le faire maintenant. (He may be able to do it now.)
May express a suggestion
- Je pourrais venir te chercher. (I could come pick you up.)
May express obligation when an infinitive is negated
- Tu peux ne pas venir. (You don't need to come or You aren't obligated to come.)
Expresses “might” or “could” in the conditional
- Je pourrais l'aider. (I could help him [her] or I might help him [her].)
Can be idiomatic
- n'en pouvoir plus (to be exhausted)
- Je n'en peux plus. (I'm exhausted.)
- n'y pouvoir rien (to be unable to do something about it)
- On n'y peut rien. (It can't be helped.)
- Je n'y peux rien. (I can't do anything about it.)