Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "poder" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce poder in Spanish?

poder is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /poˈðeɾ/. It means “to be able to / can.” poh-THEHR, stressed at the end, with a soft middle d close to the th in "those".

poh-THEHR, stressed at the end, with a soft middle d close to the th in "those".

poder /poˈðeɾ/

Two syllables, po-DER, weight at the end thanks to the r ending. This is a stem-changing verb, and the stress is exactly what triggers the change: when the beat lands on the stem you get "PUE-do" and "PUE-des" with an o that has split into ue, but when the beat moves away you get "po-DE-mos" with the plain o restored.

Listen: poder

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

po A p with no puff of air, then a pure "oh". English speakers aspirate their p heavily; hold a palm to your mouth and make sure nothing moves.

de Between vowels, the d softens dramatically — the tongue brushes the upper teeth without sealing them, landing close to the th in "those". Then a short "eh", stressed.

r A single tap to finish, leaving the vowel before it uncoloured.

Hear it in a sentence

No puedo ir hoy.

I can't go today.

Listen: No puedo ir hoy.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"No puedo ir hoy" shows the stressed stem in action — "puedo", not "podo" — because the beat has landed on the stem and forced the vowel change. "Ir hoy" links across a silent h, so it comes out EE-roy in one run. And the "no" carries real emphasis, as negations always do in Spanish.

Where English speakers slip

Two consonants go wrong at once. The p gets an English puff, and the intervocalic d gets hardened into a full English d, giving a stiff "poh-DAIR". Soften the d until it is nearly a th, and keep the p quiet. Stress is the third issue: English rhythm wants "POH-der", but a word ending in r takes the beat on its final syllable.