Pouvions (en. We could)

/pu.vjɔ̃/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

To express a capacity or possibility in the past.

We could go to the beach every weekend.

Nous pouvions aller à la plage tous les weekends.

To indicate permission granted in the past.

When we were children, we could stay outside until late.

Quand nous étions enfants, nous pouvions rester dehors jusqu'à tard.

To talk about what was possible in a past situation.

At that time, we could live with less money.

À cette époque, nous pouvions vivre avec moins d'argent.

The verb 'pouvoir' comes from the Latin 'posse', which means 'to be able'.

we could have done better

We had the ability to achieve something better.

nous pouvions faire mieux

if we could

Hypothetical expression to evoke a past possibility.

si nous pouvions

we could count on

Indicates the trust we had in something or someone in the past.

nous pouvions compter sur

to be able to

Main verb meaning to have the ability or right to do something.

pouvoir

capable

Adjective describing the ability to perform an action.

capable

Easy to do or accessible.

It was a simple project, we could finish it in a day.

C'était un projet simple, on pouvait le finir en un jour.

To be able to accomplish something without a problem.

This task is a piece of cake, we could manage it.

Cette tâche, c'est du gâteau, on pouvait y arriver.