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potere

to be able to; can

verb poh-TEH-reh Common

Origin: Latin potere, from posse (to be able)

Also means

may (permission)

Usage Note

Potere is a modal verb and is always followed by an infinitive — posso venire (I can come). As a modal, it borrows its auxiliary from the following verb: sono potuto venire (I was able to come, motion verb). The present-tense forms are irregular: posso, puoi, può, possiamo, potete, possono. It can express both ability and permission.

Examples

"Puoi aprire la finestra?"

Natural Translation

Can you open the window?

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