Podía (en. Could)

/poˈdia/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishSpanish

verb

Indicates the ability or possibility of performing an action in the past.

If she had come, I could have accompanied her.

Si ella hubiera venido, yo podía haberla acompañado.

Expresses an action that was possible in the past under certain conditions.

In his youth, he could swim long distances.

En su juventud, él podía nadar largas distancias.

Used in sentences that reflect doubt or desire in the past.

I wish we could go out for a walk today.

Ojalá que hoy podíamos salir a pasear.

From Latin 'potere', meaning 'to be able' or 'to have the ability to'.

could have been

Indicates a possibility that did not happen in the past.

podía haber sido

as far as I knew, could

Expresses doubt about ability in the past.

que yo supiera, podía

if I could have

Talks about impossibility in a past context.

si hubiera podido

to be able

Verb that expresses the ability to perform an action.

poder

powerful

Having power or ability.

poderoso

possibility

That may or may not happen.

posibilidad

Suggestion of being able to do something.

I could have gone to the party, but I decided to stay home.

¿Podía haber ido a la fiesta, pero decidí quedarme en casa?

Ability to achieve something in informal contexts.

I could achieve it, it was just a matter of trying.

Yo podía conseguirlo, solo era cuestión de intentarlo.