Poder

Overview

This lecture introduced the Spanish verb "poder" (to be able to/can) in the present tense, explained its use with days of the week, pronouns, and object pronouns, and touched on patterns for forming nouns from verbs.

The Verb "Poder" (To Be Able To/Can)

• "Poder" is used to express ability or permission (can, to be able to).
• In present tense, focus on first person (yo puedo: I can) and second person informal (tú puedes: you can).
• The personal pronoun (yo/tú) is usually omitted in Spanish because verb endings indicate the subject.
• Sentence pattern: [poder conjugation] + [infinitive verb] (e.g., "puedo trabajar" = "I can work").
• Used to make requests (e.g., "¿Puedes confirmar mi reserva?" = "Can you confirm my reservation?").

Time Expressions and Days of the Week

• Time words: "mañana" (tomorrow), "hoy" (today).
• Days: el lunes (Monday), el martes (Tuesday), el miércoles (Wednesday), el jueves (Thursday), el viernes (Friday), el sábado (Saturday), el domingo (Sunday).
• Spanish uses the article with days ("el lunes" = "the Monday").
• To say "on Mondays/Saturdays," pluralize day and article ("los lunes", "los sábados").
• To say “every Saturday,” use plural: "los sábados".

Useful Phrases and Patterns

• To express inability: "pero no puedo" ("but I can’t").
• Question words: "¿Cuándo puedes...?" ("When can you...?").
• To form questions/answers, reuse patterns with different verbs and vocabulary.

Cognates and Forming Nouns from Verbs

• Many English-Spanish cognates exist: "colaborar" (to collaborate), "investigar" (to investigate), "administrar" (to administer).
• To form nouns: drop the "r" and add "-dor" for masc./"-dora" for fem. ("colaborador/a", "administrador/a", "investigador/a").

Asking for Help and Pronoun Placement

• Direct/indirect object pronouns (me, te, etc.) can go before the conjugated verb or attached to an infinitive.
• Example: "¿Me puedes ayudar?" or "¿Puedes ayudarme?" ("Can you help me?").
• For verbs like "ayudar" when followed by another action, add "a" before the infinitive ("ayudar a decorar").

Key Terms & Definitions

• Poder — to be able to; can (Spanish verb).
• Infinitive — the base, unconjugated form of a verb.
• Direct/Indirect Object Pronoun — words like "me," "te," indicating who receives the action.
• Cognate — a word similar in two languages due to common origin.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Practice conjugating "poder" and forming sentences using different days and time expressions.
• Try both pronoun placements: before conjugated verb and attached to infinitive.
• Write out sentences using the noun-formation pattern (-dor/-dora).
• Review vocabulary for days of the week and common time words.