pude
“pude” means “I was able to” in Spanish (successfully completed an action).
I was able to, I could, I managed to
Also: I couldn't / I failed to
📝 In Action
Finalmente pude abrir el frasco.
A2I was finally able to open the jar.
No pude llamarte porque mi teléfono no tenía batería.
A2I couldn't call you because my phone had no battery.
Después de tres intentos, pude resolver el problema.
B1After three tries, I managed to solve the problem.
Gracias a tu ayuda, pude terminar a tiempo.
B1Thanks to your help, I was able to finish on time.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "pude" in Spanish:
i could→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: pude
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'pude' to talk about a specific, completed action?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
'Pude' comes from the verb 'poder'. 'Poder' itself grew out of the Vulgar Latin '*potēre', a simplified version of the classical Latin word 'posse', which meant 'to be able'. 'Pude' is the modern Spanish form of the Latin perfect tense 'potuī', meaning 'I was able'.
First recorded: Around the 12th century, in early forms of Spanish.
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'pude' and 'podía'?
'Pude' is for a specific, completed action (I managed to do it). 'Podía' is for a general ability or an ongoing situation in the past (I used to be able to do it). Think of 'pude' as 'I succeeded' and 'podía' as 'I had the ability'.
How do I say 'I couldn't'?
You just add 'no' before it: 'no pude'. For example, 'No pude ir a la fiesta' means 'I couldn't go to the party'.