What is the difference with out the first word

Question

What is the difference between nos podemos and just podemos and the same with tenemos what is the difference if you put nos or not in front of it? or is there not really a difference and all it means is emphasizing?

I see in your profile that you never vote for anyone. It would be polite to vote especially for an answer that truly helps you understand what you asked about. - Jubilado, Dec 30, 2014

English sentence does not make sense. "without" - ray76, Dec 31, 2014

Answer 1

"Nos podemos" by itself doesn't really mean anything. The "nos" part is usually a reflexive form of a second following verb.

Ejemplo:

"Nos podemos ver mañana" or "podemos vernos mañana." Both mean, "we can see each other tomorrow.

The reflexive "nos" can be placed before the first verb or attached to the infinitive.

So if Sc89 can give us more, I or somebody else can finish the answer.

Thanks from me! - Jubilado, Dec 30, 2014

Answer 2

Sometimes what we call in English the Passive Voice (Ex. The UFO was seen by many people - "was seen" is Passive Voice), is translated by using the reflexive or pronominal form of the verb - in your case poderse and tenerse.

I have not yet seen poder or tener used in this sense in the first person plural, but perhaps it can be done in which case "Nos podemos ver" could mean "We can be seen"; and "Nos tememos could mean "We are had." My mistake, I misread it as tener. I think it might mean "We scare ourselves."

I need confirmation from a native speaker to be sure that these are ever used this way.

Note I have seen many times the use of se puede (third person singular) to mean "It is possible" or even in Sí, se puede meaning "Yes, we can."

Jubilado, nos tememos would surely mean that we are afraid of ourselves?? - annierats, Dec 30, 2014

I agree with ' se puede' it is used for ' may one? can one? ' type sentences. - annierats, Dec 30, 2014

@Annie; "Nos tememos" is "We fear each other." - Daniela2041, Dec 30, 2014