Podian (en. Could)

/po'ðjan/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishSpanish

verb

Indicates ability or possibility in the past.

They could go to the party if they finished on time.

Ellos podían ir a la fiesta si terminaban a tiempo.

Refers to something that was possible to do.

They could play in the park every day.

Podían jugar en el parque todos los días.

Expresses an action that could be done at a specific moment in the past.

When they were children, they could eat sweets without worry.

Cuando eran niños, podían comer dulces sin preocupación.

From Latin 'potere', which means 'to have power or ability'.

could have been

Indicates that something could have happened in the past.

podían haber sido

if they could

It is used to express a condition about the possibility of doing something.

si ellos podían

could leave it

Implies that they had the option not to do something.

podían dejarlo

power

Verb that indicates the ability to do something.

poder

can

Form of the verb poder in the present tense, third person plural.

pueden

been able

Past participle of the verb poder, indicating something that has been able to be done.

podido

Ability to do something in an informal context.

If you wanted to go out, you could.

Si querías salir, podías.

Refers to the possibility of taking advantage of a situation.

They could have overindulged at the party.

Podían haberse pasado de copas en la fiesta.