definition of "podrán"

Question

I have read the following sentence, "Como podrán ver estamos aquí," which is translated as "As you can see we are here." Since "podrán" is the future tense it seems to my uneducated eye that it should read "As you will see ..." Any help in clearing up my confusion will be greatly appreciated.

Jim

Answer 1

You can say "Como pueden ver" also to mean exactly the same, but "Como podrán ver" may have to do with the future being used here as a means of softening a statement (making it less abrupt).

Atenuación de una idea (from http://www.espanolsinfronteras.com) El futuro se utiliza para matizar una idea, para expresar una idea de una manera menos brusca.

Answer 2

It all depends on what the author is trying to get across, as replacing 'podrán ver' with verán, would in reality give a very similar meaning.