Pouvoir conditionnel vs imparfait

Chesca M.A1Kwiziq community member

Pouvoir conditionnel vs imparfait

Bonjour,

I'm a bit confused about how pouvoir in the conditional mood would translate/ be interpreted in English. How will I differentiate pouvoir in these two tenses?

Thank you! :)

This question relates to:French lesson "Conjugate pouvoir in the conditional present in French = could (Le Conditionnel Présent)"

Asked 3 years ago

Like0Answer2

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Pouvoir -- can / to be able to
Pouvais -- could / was (being) able to
Pourrais -- could / would be able to

Note that the English "could" is ambiguous and can be either imperfect or conditional in French.

Like33 years ago

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Chesca,

Think about what pouvoir translates to in English. Pouvoir --> to be able to.

So In the conditional this becomes "could be able to" and in the Imparfait "was able to"

Hope this helps.

Jim

Like23 years ago

Chesca M. asked: