pode

Pode is the third-person singular present indicative form of the Portuguese verb poder, meaning to be able or to may. It is used to express ability, possibility, or permission in everyday speech. In Brazilian Portuguese, the more common form for informal address is você pode, which uses the same conjugation as ele/ela pode. In European Portuguese, tu podes is used in informal contexts, while você may also be used with the same meaning, depending on region.

Etymology and form: poder derives from Latin posse, meaning to be able. The Portuguese form pode develops from this root through regular phonological and morphological changes typical of the language’s evolution from Latin. The verb poder is highly irregular in some tenses, but pode itself remains a stable present-tense form used across varieties of Portuguese.

Usage notes: Pode introduces statements about capability or likelihood, as in posso ajudar? meaning “Can I help?” or Pode entrar, meaning “You may enter.” It also functions to express permission or a polite request, often in questions or conditional contexts. In rapid speech, pode can stand alone as a general assent or acknowledgment, similar to “okay” in English, depending on intonation and situation. In formal writing, it is common to pair pode with subject pronouns or to use other forms of poder for different levels of formality or emphasis.

See also: Poder, the infinitive on which pode is based; Portuguese grammar; Portuguese verb conjugation.