Poder vs. Conseguir in Portuguese – Tease Them Apart

Portuguese language learners often struggle to discern between Poder and Conseguir, not least native English speakers or anyone using English as a reference since Can usually encompasses both.

So, how do we know when to use Poder and Conseguir?

Poder and Conseguir are used to express that something can or can’t happen. Thus, the concept of ‘possibility’ is central to either. However, while Poder relates to the mere possibility of something taking place, Conseguir implies a challenge of some sort and the ability to overcome it.

Overall, the context tells us whether to use Poder or Conseguir. Read on.

When to use Poder

Let’s take a brief look at what the irregular verb poder looks like when conjugated in the Present and Past Simple tenses  

	Present simple	Preterite Pretérito perfeito	Imperfect Pretérito imperfeito
Eu	posso	pude	podia
Tu	podes	pudeste	podias
Ele, ela	pode	pode	podia
Nós	podemos	pudemos	podíamos
Vocês	podem	puderam	podiam
Eles, elas	podem	puderam	podiam
	Past Participle	podido
	Present Participle Gerúndio	podendo

Possibility

We use poder to say that something may or may not happen, or that something is possible or not:

Eles podem chegar a qualquer momento. They could come anytime soon. As previsões do tempo para amanhã são  incertas, pode chover. The weather forecast for tomorrow is uncertain, it could rain. Não pode ser verdade. Ele está a mentir. It can’t be true. He’s lying.

Permission

We also use poder to make it clear that something is either allowed or forbidden: