French Phrase
Ils peuvent surmonter les difficultés ?
Meaning
The sentence asks whether a group of people (they) are able to overcome the difficulties that have been mentioned or are understood from context. It is a neutral‑to‑slightly formal way of checking capability.
When to use
Use this question when discussing a team’s or a group’s capacity to deal with problems—e.g., in a meeting, a classroom debate, or a casual conversation about a project’s challenges.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilspeuventsurmonterlesdifficultés?
Subject Pronoun
"Ils" is the third‑person plural subject pronoun meaning “they”.
Pouvoir (present)
"peuvent" is the present‑tense form of the modal verb pouvoir for the pronoun ils.
Infinitive after pouvoir
When a modal verb like pouvoir is used, the following verb stays in the infinitive (surmonter).
Definite article + noun
"les difficultés" uses the definite article “les” because the difficulties are known or specific.
Question punctuation
In spoken French the intonation makes it a question; in writing a simple question mark after a declarative word order is acceptable, especially in informal contexts.
🗨In Conversation
Ils peuvent surmonter les difficultés ?
Can they overcome the difficulties?
Oui, ils ont déjà fait face à des obstacles plus grands.
Yes, they have already faced bigger obstacles.
✕Common Mistakes
Ils peux surmonter les difficultés ?
The verb must agree with the plural subject "ils"; use "peuvent".
Ils peuvent surmontez les difficultés ?
After the modal "peuvent", the second verb stays infinitive, not conjugated.
Ils peuvent surmonter les difficulté ?
The noun is plural; the article must be "les" and the noun "difficultés".
↔Alternatives
Est‑ce qu’ils peuvent surmonter les difficultés ?
Can they overcome the difficulties?
Peuvent‑ils surmonter les difficultés ?
Can they overcome the difficulties?
Sont‑ils capables de surmonter les difficultés ?
Are they capable of overcoming the difficulties?
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, many speakers prefer the "Est‑ce que" construction for questions because it sounds natural and is easy to use. The pure inversion (Peuvent‑ils…) is more formal and often heard in written or formal spoken French. Also, "surmonter" is a slightly elevated verb; in casual speech people might say "gérer" or "dépasser" instead.