The Imperfect Tense of Poder is used to express ability, permission, or possibility in the past, for example: Cuando era niño, podía correr muy rápido. (When I was a child, I could run very fast.)

Poder is a regular -er verb, so its conjugation in the Imperfect Tense follows the regular pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Poder (to be able) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of poder is used to express ongoing or repeated actions, descriptions, and states in the past.

Ability or possibility in the past: For example, Cuando era niño, podía correr muy rápido. (When I was a child, I could run very fast.)

Polite requests: For example, ¿Podía ayudarme con esto, por favor? (Could you help me with this, please?)

Uncertainty or speculation: For example, Podía ser verdad, pero no estoy seguro. (It could be true, but I’m not sure.)

Habitual actions in the past: For example, De pequeño, podía pasar horas jugando al fútbol. (As a child, I could spend hours playing soccer.)

Idiomatic expressions: For example, ¡Podías haber avisado! (You could have warned me!) to express annoyance or reproach.

Examples

Examples of Poder in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, podía correr durante horas sin cansarme. (When I was a child, I could run for hours without getting tired.)

Mis abuelos podían hablar tres idiomas con fluidez. (My grandparents could speak three languages fluently.)

En aquella época, podíamos salir a jugar sin preocupaciones. (In those days, we could go out and play without worries.)

Antes de la pandemia, podían viajar al extranjero sin restricciones. (Before the pandemic, they could travel abroad without restrictions.)

¿Podías terminar tus tareas antes de salir a jugar? (Could you finish your homework before going out to play?)

Aunque podíamos ver la película en casa, preferíamos ir al cine. (Although we could watch the movie at home, we preferred to go to the cinema.)

Mis padres podían permitirse unas vacaciones cada año. (My parents could afford a vacation every year.)

En la universidad, podía quedarme despierto hasta tarde estudiando. (In college, I could stay up late studying.)

¿Podíais entender lo que decía el profesor? (Could you understand what the teacher was saying?)

Ellos podían cocinar platos deliciosos con ingredientes sencillos. (They could cook delicious dishes with simple ingredients.)

Cuando era joven, podía comer lo que quisiera sin engordar. (When I was young, I could eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight.)

En esos días, podíamos pasar horas jugando en el parque. (In those days, we could spend hours playing in the park.)

Mis amigos podían contar conmigo en cualquier momento. (My friends could count on me at any time.)

Aunque podía trabajar desde casa, prefería ir a la oficina. (Although I could work from home, I preferred to go to the office.)

¿Podías resolver ese problema de matemáticas? (Could you solve that math problem?)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Poder (to be able) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.