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Conjugation Chart of “Poder” (to be able to) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Poder”

The preterite of poder is used to express when you were able to do something at a specific moment in the past. For example, you might say “I was able to finish the project yesterday,” indicating success at a particular time.

This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. It changes its stem to ‘pud-‘ throughout all conjugations.

How to Use Poder in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of poder indicates instances of being able or unable to do something.

Could/Was able to: Describes succeeding at doing something specific, for example Pude terminar el proyecto a tiempo (I was able to finish the project on time). Also used for inability, as in No pude dormir anoche (I couldn’t sleep last night).

Managed to: Indicates succeeding despite difficulty, for example Por fin pudieron comprar una casa (They finally managed to buy a house).

Real Life Examples of Poder in the Preterite (Past) Tense

No pude llegar a tiempo. (I wasn’t able to arrive on time.)

¿Pudiste terminar el trabajo? (Were you able to finish the work?)

Ella pudo resolver el problema. (She was able to solve the problem.)

Por fin pudimos comprar una casa. (We were finally able to buy a house.)

Los atletas pudieron completar la maratón. (The athletes were able to complete the marathon.)

No pude dormir anoche. (I couldn’t sleep last night.)

¿Pudiste encontrar las llaves? (Were you able to find the keys?)

El equipo pudo ganar el campeonato. (The team was able to win the championship.)

Pudimos ver el eclipse. (We were able to see the eclipse.)

Los estudiantes pudieron aprobar el examen. (The students were able to pass the exam.)

Al fin pude entender el concepto. (I was finally able to understand the concept.)

¿Pudiste hablar con el jefe? (Were you able to talk to the boss?)

Mi hermano pudo conseguir el trabajo. (My brother was able to get the job.)

Pudimos llegar antes de la lluvia. (We were able to arrive before the rain.)

Los científicos pudieron hacer el descubrimiento. (The scientists were able to make the discovery.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Poder (to be able to) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.