poder
Portuguese, noun/poˈde(ʁ)/
poder is spelled P-O-D-E-R (5 letters) and appears 355 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 258th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Poder is a Portuguese masculine noun meaning “power (the ability to coerce, influence or control)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “autoridade ou domínio”.
What does poder mean in English?
verb
- 1
to be able to; can (to have the ability to)
Eu posso arrumar isso.
- 2
can; to be allowed to (to have the permission to)
Não podem ficar no pátio.
- 3
can; could (indicates possibility)
O montanhista podia cair a qualquer momento.
- 4
may; might (indicates possibility but uncertainty)
Pode ser que eu vá, mas eu posso ter natação nesse dia.
- 5
to be able to take on (to be able to defeat or withstand)
Ninguém pode comigo!
- 6
informalto be available for a meeting or appointment
Eu posso terça.
noun
- 1
masculinepower (the ability to coerce, influence or control)
O rei do Reino Unido tem pouco poder.
- 2
masculinepower (a powerful organization, especially a country)
Os poderes mundiais se reuniram.
- 3
masculinepower (branch of the government)
Quem lida com isso é o poder judiciário.
- 4
masculinepower (extraordinary quality)
Essa vacina tem o poder da cura.
- 5
masculinepower; superpower (supernatural ability)
Meu poder favorito é o teletransporte.
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
noun: 1. autoridade ou domínio 2. governo de um Estado 3. capacidade, faculdade 4. posse
verb: 1. ter a faculdade, a possibilidade de ou a autorização para 2. ter força física ou moral para 3. estar exposto a 4. ter autoridade para
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of poder
- posso first-person present singular
- pude first-person preterite singular
- podido participle past
- poderes infinitive second-person singular
- podermos first-person infinitive plural
- poderdes infinitive plural second-person
- poderem infinitive plural third-person
- podendo gerund
- podidos masculine participle past
- podida feminine participle past
- podidas feminine participle past
- podes indicative present second-person
- pode indicative present singular
- podemos first-person indicative plural
- podeis indicative plural present
- podem indicative plural present
- podia first-person imperfect indicative
- podias imperfect indicative second-person
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce poder?
- Brazil /poˈde(ʁ)/
- Brazil [poˈde(h)]
- Brazil /puˈde(ʁ)/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to poder
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is poder in Portuguese?
poder appears 355 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).