Special Verbs - Poder and Querer Flashcards
Why are poder and querer special?
poder and querer are the other two verbs that can change meaning when they are used in the preterit (along with saber and conocer).
What does poder mean in the present?
“to be able to” and “can” in the present,
What does poder mean in the preterit?
it more commonly means “to manage, to succeed” ie in addition to “be able to” and “can”
What does querer mean in the present?
“to want, to love” in the present
What does querer mean in the preterit?
it more commonly means “to try” in the preterit.
conjugate poder in the present
puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden
Tú puedes hacer lo que quieras y yo también.
You can do anything you want and so can I.
Juntos podemos.
Together we can.
¿Podéis terminarlo para mañana?
Will you guys be able to finish it by tomorrow?
Creo que no pueden venir esta noche.
I think they aren’t able to come over tonight.
¿Sabes qué puedes hacer?
Do you know what you can do?
Conjugate poder in the preterit
pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudiero
Pudimos terminar el proyecto a tiempo.
We managed to finish the project on time.
¿Pudiste ahorrar suficiente dinero para el viaje?
Did you manage to save enough money for the trip?
Por fin pude entenderlo.
Finally, I managed to understand it.
No pude cruzar la línea de meta.
I failed to cross the finish line.
No pudieron encontrar una solución.
They failed to find a solution.
No pudo perder más peso.
He failed to lose more weight.
conjugate querer in the present tense
quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren
Quiero que me quieras.
I want you to love me
¿Me quieres?
Do you love me?
¡Me quiere, no me quiere!
He loves me, he loves me not!
¿Qué queréis de postre?
What do you guys want for dessert?
Queremos saber por qué nos mentiste.
We want to know why you lied to us.
conjugate querer in the preterit
quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron
Quiso impresionarme con sus amplios conocimientos, pero a mí no me interesan las enciclopedias.
He tried to impress me with his wide knowledge, but I am not interested in encyclopedias.
Quisieron comprar nuestro silencio, pero no estaba en venta.
They tried to buy our silence, but it was not for sale.
Quise ser escritor, pero el destino tenía otros planes.
I tried to become a writer, but destiny had other plans.
No quise firmar el contrato.
I refused to sign the contract.
No quiso prestarme el dinero.
She refused to loan me the money.
¿Por qué no quisisteis escuchar mi nueva canción?
Why did you guys refused to listen to my new song?
Point to remember
Please, keep in mind that poder/no poder and querer/no querer can be used in a wide variety of different contexts in the preterite, other than the ones provided in this lesson, and for each one a different verb or expression will be required for an accurate translation in English.
