usage.ability-poder-saber
Can: poder vs saber
Saber + infinitive = learned skill (sé manejar); poder = possibility, permission, or circumstance (hoy no puedo manejar). English 'can' covers both — Spanish splits them.
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Erklärung
Sé nadar means I learned how; puedo nadar hoy means circumstances allow it. The classic error: *puedo hablar español for ability — say sé hablar español or just hablo español.
Poder also requests and permits: ¿podés venir?, acá no se puede estacionar. In the preterite, pude = managed to, no pude = failed to.
Keep the split in mind across tenses: the preterite pude means 'managed to' (a one-off success), while no pude is 'failed to / couldn't manage'; the imperfect podía just describes a standing ability or circumstance. Saber stays for skills only — never *puedo nadar to mean you know how.
Beispiele
I know how to cook, but today I can't: there's no gas.
Region: global
Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?
Region: global
I know how to drive, but yesterday I couldn't get there on time because of traffic.
Region: global