Spanish · A1 · Family moment
Little Moving Adventures in Spanish
Celebrate your baby's physical milestones like crawling and rolling while learning how to express ability and limitations using the verb 'poder' (can) in Spanish.
What you'll learn
- Express physical abilities using the verb 'poder'
- Form simple questions about what a child can do
- Use negative statements to describe things that aren't possible yet
Spanish phrases for little moving adventures
Puedes darte la vuelta.
You can roll over.
Uses the reflexive phrase 'darse la vuelta' for rolling over.
Puedes gatear hacia mí.
You can crawl to me.
'Hacia mí' means toward me.
¿Puedes alcanzar la pelota?
Can you reach the ball?
Question marks in Spanish are used at both the beginning and end.
Puedes agarrar mi mano.
You can hold my hand.
'Agarrar' is a common verb for grabbing or holding.
Puedo ayudarte.
I can help you.
The pronoun 'te' (you) is attached to the end of the infinitive 'ayudar'.
No puedes alcanzarlo todavía.
You cannot reach it yet.
'Todavía' means 'yet' or 'still'.
El osito no puede caminar.
The teddy cannot walk.
'No puede' is the standard way to say 'cannot'.
¡No puedo gatear tan rápido!
I cannot crawl that fast!
'Tan rápido' translates to 'so fast' or 'that fast'.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
gatear
to crawl
Comes from the word 'gato' (cat).
alcanzar
to reach
Used for reaching physical objects.
pelota
ball
A common first word in play.
osito
teddy bear / little bear
The suffix -ito makes the word 'oso' (bear) cute and small.
The Verb 'Poder' (Can)
To say someone 'can' do something, use the conjugated form of 'poder' followed immediately by the second verb in its original (infinitive) form.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I can | Yo puedo | Puedo jugar. |
| You can | Tú puedes | Puedes ver. |
| He/She/It can | Él/Ella puede | Puede saltar. |
Negatives (Cannot)
To say 'cannot', simply place the word 'no' directly before the conjugated verb 'poder'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I cannot | No puedo | No puedo ir. |
| You cannot | No puedes | No puedes caer. |
More examples
¿Puedes mover los pies?
Can you move your feet?
¡Mira! Puede gatear.
Look! He/she can crawl.
No puedes subir ahí.
You cannot climb up there.