Basic Possession and Ability | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Tengo este.

   I have this one.

   Tengo

   I have

   este

   this one

   More detail

   Tengo is the first-person singular present form of tener (“to have”): yo tengo. It states that the speaker has or possesses something. Other present forms include tienes (“you have”) and tiene (“he/she/you formal have”), but tengo specifically identifies the speaker as the person who has it. este is a standalone masculine-singular demonstrative pronoun meaning “this one.” It refers to a masculine-singular item understood from the situation, but the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what that item is. The demonstrative agrees with the item’s grammatical gender and number: esta = “this one” for a feminine-singular item, estos = “these ones” for masculine-plural items, and estas = “these ones” for feminine-plural items. In este, the form itself—not tengo—carries this demonstrative agreement. Together, Tengo + este gives Tengo este. = “I have this one.” The subject is the speaker, the verb expresses possession, and este is the possessed item shown or otherwise identifiable in the situation.

2. No lo tengo.

   I do not have it.

   No

   not

   lo

   it

   tengo

   I have

   More detail

   No marks negation. It comes before the verb phrase; with a clitic pronoun, the order is No + lo + tengo. It makes the statement negative, rather than excluding or replacing the object. lo is a direct-object pronoun meaning “it” here. Lo can represent a masculine singular object, while la, los, and las agree with feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural objects respectively. Spanish also uses neuter lo in some abstract references. The fixed sentence does not identify the specific referent, so no particular object should be assigned to it. In this sentence, the pronoun comes before the conjugated verb tengo. tengo is the first-person singular present form of tener, “to have”: yo tengo means “I have.” It is an irregular first-person form; compare tienes (“you have”) and tiene (“he/she/you formal has”). Example: Tengo tiempo. — “I have time.” Together, No lo tengo means “I do not have it.” The sentence presents the speaker as not having the understood direct object, without identifying what that object is.

3. Puedo hacerlo.

   I can do it.

   Puedo

   I can

   hacerlo

   do it

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to”): puedo = “I can / I am able to.” With an infinitive, poder expresses ability or possibility, as in Puedo ayudarte. — “I can help you.” The subject is “I,” shown by the verb form; Spanish often leaves the subject pronoun unstated. hacerlo combines the infinitive hacer (“to do” or “to make”) with the direct-object pronoun lo (“it”). After poder, the second verb stays in the infinitive: puedo hacer = “I can do.” The pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive, so hacer + lo becomes hacerlo. Here, lo refers to the unspecified thing expressed as “it” in the fixed translation; the supplied sentence does not identify what that thing is. Example: Quiero hacerlo. — “I want to do it.” Together, Puedo hacerlo. means “I can do it.” The pattern is Puedo + infinitive + object pronoun: the speaker states their ability to carry out the action on the object.

4. No puedo hacerlo.

   I cannot do it.

   No

   not

   puedo

   I can; I am able to

   hacerlo

   do it

   More detail

   No negates the clause that follows it. Here it turns the ability expressed by puedo into inability: “cannot,” not simply a statement about choosing not to act. puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” The useful pattern is poder + infinitive: puedo hacerlo = “I can do it.” The subject is included in the verb form, so Spanish does not need a separate subject pronoun here. For comparison, puedes is the present form used with tú: ¿Puedes ayudarme? means “Can you help me?” hacerlo combines the infinitive hacer, “to do,” with lo, an attached direct-object clitic. In this utterance, lo means “it,” but the supplied sentence does not identify what “it” refers to. In this use, lo can represent a masculine-singular object or a neuter idea; its exact referent is not identified here. The clitic is attached to the infinitive: hacer + lo → hacerlo. Example: Necesito hacerlo. — “I need to do it.” Together, No + puedo + hacerlo means “I cannot do it.” The structure is no + present form of poder + infinitive with its object clitic. The negative marker applies to the speaker’s ability to carry out the action.

5. ¿Puedes ayudarme?

   Can you help me?

   Puedes

   can you

   ayudarme

   help me

   More detail

   Puedes is the present-tense form of poder for tú (singular, informal “you”): puedes = “you can” or, in a question like this, “can you?”. The form puedo in No puedo hacerlo is the first-person singular form, “I can’t do it.” ayudarme combines the infinitive ayudar, “to help,” with the attached direct-object pronoun me, “me.” Spanish can attach this pronoun to an infinitive: ayudar + me → ayudarme. Compare ayudarlo = “to help him/it” and ayudarte = “to help you.” Together, ¿Puedes ayudarme? asks whether the listener is able or willing to help the speaker: “Can you help me?” The question uses puedes to express ability or a request and ayudarme to identify the action and its recipient.

6. ¿Puedes hacer esto?

   Can you do this?

   Puedes

   can / are able to

   hacer

   do / make

   esto

   this

   More detail

   Puedes is the present-tense form of poder for tú: tú puedes. It expresses ability or possibility here, and the question asks whether the listener is able to do something. Compare puedo (“I can”) and puede (“he/she/you formal can”); the ending identifies the subject, even though Spanish often leaves tú unstated. Hacer is the infinitive “to do” or “to make.” After a conjugated form of poder, the second verb stays in the infinitive: puedes hacer = “you can do.” For example, Puedes venir means “You can come.” Esto is a neuter demonstrative meaning “this.” It refers to something presented or understood as an unspecified matter, action, or situation; the sentence itself does not identify exactly what it is. The contrasting demonstrative for “that” is eso. Together, ¿Puedes hacer esto? uses the pattern ¿Puedes + infinitive + esto? to ask the listener whether they can perform the indicated task. The natural meaning is “Can you do this?”