Poder and Jugar: Ability and Common Present-Tense Vowel Changes

In this lesson, you will learn two common Spanish verbs with present-tense vowel changes: — to be able to / can and — to play.

changes o to in most present-tense forms. changes u to in most present-tense forms. In both verbs, / and / keep the original stem vowel.

Present tense of poder

Subject		English
— I	— I can	I can / I am able to
— you	— you can	you can / you are able to
/ / — he / she / you	— can	he can / she can / you can
/ — we	— we can	we can / we are able to
/ — you all	— you all can	you all can / you are able to
/ / — they / you all	— they can / you all can	they can / you all can

The vowel change appears in , , , and . It does not appear in or .

Using poder with an infinitive

Use a conjugated form of followed by an infinitive to say that someone can do something.

— I can read in Spanish.
— You can cook.
— He / She can dance.
— We can walk.
— They can listen to music.

The form of changes with the subject. The second verb stays in the infinitive.

Asking whether someone can do something

Use ¿…? — Can you…? when speaking informally to one person.

— Can you read in Spanish?
— Can you cook?
— Can you dance?
— Can you come?

For now, treat venir — to come as an infinitive inside the pattern. Its present-tense forms are taught later.

Answering questions with poder

You can answer positively or negatively with .

Person A: — Can you read in Spanish?

Person B: — Yes, I can read in Spanish.

Person A: — Can you cook?

Person B: — No, I cannot cook.

Place no before the conjugated form to make the sentence negative.

Poder for practical possibility

can also express that an action is possible in a situation.

— We can eat here.
— You can study in the afternoon.
— We can speak Spanish.

At this stage, focus on the practical meaning “can” without adding more advanced uses.

The o-to-ue pattern in poder

— I can
— you can
— he / she can; you can
— we can
— you all can
— they can; you all can

Notice the contrast between — I can and — we can. The form keeps o instead of changing it to .

Present tense of jugar

Subject		English
— I	— I play	I play
— you	— you play	you play
/ / — he / she / you	— plays / you play	he plays / she plays / you play
/ — we	— we play	we play
/ — you all	— you all play	you all play
/ / — they / you all	— they play / you all play	they play / you all play

The u-to- change appears in , , , and . It does not appear in or .

Using jugar with familiar sports

With sports such as football and tennis, Spanish commonly uses al.

— I play soccer / football.
— You play tennis.
— He / She plays soccer / football.
— We play tennis.
— They play soccer / football.

Keep al fútbol — to play soccer / football and — to play tennis as useful activity patterns.

Asking what sport someone plays

A useful question is — What do you play?

Person A: — What do you play?

Person B: — I play tennis.

You can also ask about a specific sport:

Person A: — Do you play soccer / football?

Person B: — Yes, I play soccer / football.

Talking about a sport you do not play

Use no before to make the sentence negative.

— I do not play soccer / football.
— You do not play tennis.
— They do not play soccer / football.

The u-to-ue pattern in jugar

— I play
— you play
— he / she plays; you play
— we play
— you all play
— they play; you all play

Compare — I play with — we play. The form keeps u.

Comparing poder and jugar

The two verbs have different original vowels but a similar present-tense pattern.

Verb	Change	Example
— to be able to / can	o →	— I can
— to play	u →	— I play

Both verbs keep the unchanged stem in / and / .

Combining poder and jugar

You can use + infinitive when the meaning is “can play.”

— I can play soccer / football.
— You can play tennis.
— We can play soccer / football.
— I cannot play tennis.

Only is conjugated in this structure. stays in the infinitive.

Ability and preference are different ideas

Compare with the preference language from previous lessons.

— I can dance.
— I like dancing.
— I can play tennis.
— I like playing tennis.

Being able to do something does not automatically mean that you like doing it.

Talking about different people

— Ana can dance.
— Carlos can cook.
— Ana plays tennis.
— Carlos plays soccer / football.
— Ana and Carlos can walk.
— Ana and Carlos play tennis.

A short conversation about ability and sports

Person A: — Can you play tennis?

Person B: — Yes, I can play tennis.

Person A: — Do you play tennis?

Person B: — Yes, I play tennis.

The first question asks about ability. The second asks whether the person plays the sport.

A practical form-selection method

When you use or in the present tense, use this sequence:

Identify the subject.
Use o → with in , , / / , and / / .
Use u → with in those same forms.
Keep the original vowel in / and / .
After , keep the following verb in the infinitive.

From Poder and Jugar to asking follow-up questions

You can now use to talk about ability and possibility, use to talk about playing familiar sports, and recognize their common present-tense vowel-change pattern. The next lesson focuses on asking follow-up questions about someone’s interests in Spanish.