pouvoir

French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle French povoir, from Old French povoir, pooir, from early Old French poeir, from Vulgar Latin *potēre (“to be able”) for Classical Latin posse, present active infinitive of possum. The Latin infinitive *potēre was a regularized form from the root potis (“able”) or formed on the basis of the present participle potens. The v is an epenthetic consonant added to avoid hiatus.

See cognates in regional languages in France : Bourguignon peuvoi, Champenois pouâr, Franc-Comtois povoi, Gallo pouair, Lorrain pouhoir, Norman pouveî, Picard puvoèr, Poitevin-Saintongeais pevoer, Franco-Provençal povêr and possêr, Occitan poder, Catalan poder, Corsican putè.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pu.vwaʁ/
  • audio(file)
  • (Louisiana) IPA(key): [pu.wɒɾ]
  • Rhymes: -waʁ

Verb

pouvoir

  1. can, to be able to
    Je peux venir ce soir. ― I can come this evening.
  2. may
    désastre qui peut nous frapper ― disaster which may strike us

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”)
  • It is also not used to mean can (“to know how to”), savoir is used instead.
    Je sais nager ― I can swim
    (not “Je peux nager”)
  • In Belgian French, pouvoir is not used to say someone is capable of something, savoir is used instead.
    Je ne sais pas dormir ― I am not able to sleep
    ("I do not know how to sleep" in France)
    Je ne peux pas dormir ― I am not allowed to sleep
    ("I am not able to sleep" in France)
  • 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?
    Si je puis me permettre… ― If you don't mind…

Conjugation

Noun

pouvoir m (plural pouvoirs)

  1. (countable or uncountable) power, a power.
  2. authority
  3. (law) power of attorney

Derived terms

Further reading

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