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A smiling young child confidently riding a bright red bicycle without training wheels down a simple green path, demonstrating skill and ability.

podías

po-DEE-as

VerbA2irregular er
you could?past ability (familiar 'tú')
Also:you were able to?past capability (familiar 'tú'),you were allowed to?past permission (familiar 'tú')

Quick Reference

infinitivepoder
gerundpudiendo
past Participlepodido

📝 In Action

Cuando vivías allí, ¿podías ir al parque todos los días?

A2

When you lived there, could you go to the park every day?

Antes de la cirugía, no podías mover el brazo.

B1

Before the surgery, you couldn't move your arm.

En ese trabajo, podías tomarte un descanso cuando quisieras.

B2

In that job, you were allowed to take a break whenever you wanted.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • eras capaz (you were capable)
  • tenías la habilidad (you had the ability)

Antonyms

  • no podías (you couldn't)

Common Collocations

  • antes podías – before you could
  • si querías, podías – if you wanted, you could

💡 Grammar Points

Tense and Subject

'Podías' is the imperfect past tense, used only when talking directly to one person you know well (the 'tú' form). It always refers to an action or state in the past.

The Imperfect Tense (El Imperfecto)

This tense is used for ongoing, repetitive, or habitual actions in the past (like 'used to' in English), or to describe the setting or background of a past story.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Imperfect vs. Preterite

Mistake: "Using 'podías' when the action was a successful, completed event (e.g., 'Ayer, podías terminar el proyecto')."

Correction: If you successfully finished the project in one moment, use the preterite: 'Ayer, pudiste terminar el proyecto' (You managed to finish the project). 'Podías' means you simply had the capacity over time.

⭐ Usage Tips

Focus on Duration

Think of 'podías' as describing something that was true for a long time: 'For many years, you could...' or 'When you were young, you could...'

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedpuede
yopuedo
túpuedes
ellos/ellas/ustedespueden
nosotrospodemos
vosotrospodéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedpodía
yopodía
túpodías
ellos/ellas/ustedespodían
nosotrospodíamos
vosotrospodíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedpudo
yopude
túpudiste
ellos/ellas/ustedespudieron
nosotrospudimos
vosotrospudisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedpueda
yopueda
túpuedas
ellos/ellas/ustedespuedan
nosotrospodamos
vosotrospodáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedpudiera/pudiese
yopudiera/pudiese
túpudieras/pudieses
ellos/ellas/ustedespudieran/pudiesen
nosotrospudiéramos/pudiésemos
vosotrospudierais/pudieseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: podías

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'podías' to describe a past, ongoing ability?

📚 More Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'poder' an irregular verb?

Poder is irregular because its stem changes when conjugated. For example, in the present tense, 'o' changes to 'ue' (p**ue**do), and in the preterite, the stem changes completely (p**u**de). You just have to memorize these changes!

How is 'podías' different from 'podrías'?

'Podías' (imperfect) talks about what you *were able to do* in the past. 'Podrías' (conditional) talks about what you *would be able to do* now or in the future, and is often used for polite requests ('Could you please help me?').