podrá
poh-DRAH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Ella no podrá asistir a la cena de mañana.
A2She will not be able to attend tomorrow's dinner.
El director podrá tomar una decisión la próxima semana.
B1The director will be able to make a decision next week.
Si no nos apuramos, no se podrá encontrar un buen asiento.
B2If we don't hurry, it won't be possible (one won't be able) to find a good seat.
Usted podrá recoger su pasaporte el jueves.
A2You (formal) can pick up your passport on Thursday.
💡 Grammar Points
Irregular Future Stem
The verb poder (to be able to) is one of a handful of verbs that changes its stem when forming the future tense. Instead of poderá, it uses the special, shorter stem podr- (poh-drr) before adding the future endings.
Who Does the Action?
This form, podrá, is used only when the subject is a single person you call él (he), ella (she), or usted (you formal), or a single object or concept.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using the wrong stem for the future
Mistake: "Using 'él/ella/usted *poderá*'"
Correction: Use 'él/ella/usted *podrá*'. Remember that the future tense forms of 'poder' are irregular and must have the 'r' before the ending.
⭐ Usage Tips
Future Speculation
In casual speech, podrá is often used to speculate or guess about the present or near future, similar to 'may' or 'could' in English. E.g., '¿Quién llama? Podrá ser Juan.' (Who is calling? It could be Juan.)
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: podrá
Question 1 of 2
Which English phrase best translates 'El médico podrá confirmar los resultados mañana'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'podrá' spelled with 'dr' and not just 'd' like the present tense form 'puede'?
Spanish future tense forms often come from a shortened, older version of the verb. In the case of *poder*, the infinitive stem adds an 'r' before the endings (po-d-er becomes po-dr-é, po-dr-ás, po-dr-á). This makes the pronunciation flow more easily and signals the future tense.
Can 'podrá' ever mean 'could'?
Yes, in a specific way! If you use 'podrá' to talk about something happening *now* (e.g., 'It may be raining'), it translates to 'could' or 'might' in English, showing probability rather than definite future ability.