pude/pudiste/pudo/pudimos/pudieron

Preterite of Poder

Level 2

Use these forms to say 'I could', 'you could', etc., for a completed action in the past, often implying success.

How It Works

In the preterite tense, 'poder' is an irregular verb. It doesn't follow the standard endings for -er verbs. Instead, its stem changes and it uses a unique set of endings that are shared by other common irregular verbs like 'tener' and 'estar'.

Conjugation:
The stem changes from o → u (pod- → pud-).

  • yo: pude
  • tú: pudiste
  • él/ella/usted: pudo
  • nosotros/as: pudimos
  • vosotros/as: pudisteis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes: pudieron

Notice that none of these endings have accent marks.

Meaning in the Preterite:
While 'poder' generally means 'to be able to' or 'can', in the preterite it often carries the specific meaning of 'to manage to', 'to succeed in', or 'to be able to and did'. It describes a completed action of ability.

This is different from the imperfect tense form, 'podía', which describes a general ability or capability in the past without specifying whether the action was completed.

  • Pude abrir la puerta. (I managed to open the door. - I tried and succeeded).
  • Podía abrir la puerta. (I was able to open the door. - I had the ability, but it doesn't say if I actually did it).

Examples (5)

  1. Yo pude terminar el examen a tiempo.

    I was able to finish the exam on time.

    Word by Word: I could finish the exam on time.

  2. ¿Pudiste hablar con el profesor?

    Were you able to talk to the professor?

    Word by Word: Could you talk with the professor?

  3. Ella no pudo venir a la fiesta anoche.

    She couldn't come to the party last night.

    Word by Word: She not could come to the party last night.

    The negative form simply adds 'no' before the verb.

  4. Nosotros pudimos ver la película.

    We were able to see the movie.

    Word by Word: We could see the movie.

  5. Ellos pudieron resolver el problema.

    They managed to solve the problem.

    Word by Word: They could solve the problem.

    This implies that they tried and succeeded in solving the problem.

Common Mistakes

  • Using regular -er preterite endings instead of the irregular ones.

    Yo podí terminar el trabajo.
    Yo pude terminar el trabajo.

    'Poder' is an irregular verb in the preterite. It uses the stem 'pud-' and a special set of endings (-e, -iste, -o, -imos, -ieron) that do not have accent marks.

  • Using pude when you mean a general ability in childhood.

    Different MeaningCuando era niño, pude correr muy rápido.
    Cuando era niño, podía correr muy rápido.

    Cuando era niño, pude correr muy rápido is a good sentence, but pude suggests one occasion when you managed to run fast. For a general ability in the past, use the imperfect: podía correr.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

pude/pudiste/pudo/pudimos/pudieronLevel 2Preterite of Poder

Learn This First

To learn the preterite of 'poder', you first need to understand the verb's core meaning from the present tense. You also need to be familiar with the regular preterite endings for -er/-ir verbs and the concept of irregular 'u-stem' verbs in the past tense, which follow a specific pattern of stem changes.

Words in This Pattern

poder