puoi

Puoi is the second-person singular present indicative form of the Italian verb potere, meaning "to be able to" or "can." It is used to express ability or possibility in informal speech and is often found in questions or requests, such as "Puoi venire?" (Can you come?) or "Puoi aiutarmi?" (Can you help me?). The corresponding formal form for the second person is può, used with Lei, or the plural voi potete.

Grammatically, puoi is part of the present tense of potere, whose full conjugation in the present indicative is: posso, puoi, può, possiamo, potete, possono. This verb also appears in other tenses and moods, for example "potrò" (I will be able), "potrei" (I could / I might be able), and the past participle "potuto" (been able).

Usage notes: puoi denotes general or immediate ability and is common in everyday speech. In questions, it often serves as a request or invitation, as in "Puoi chiudere la porta?" (Could you close the door?). When addressing more than one person, "puoi" becomes "potete" (you can). In negative sentences, it becomes "non puoi." While related to permission in some contexts, the more formal permission is typically conveyed with poterbbe or the verb potere in other tenses, and the informal present is usually about ability.

Etymology: potere derives from Latin posse, meaning "to be able." Italian retains the root in its modern verb conjugations, with puoi representing the second-person singular present form.