poder preterite conjugation
Poder (to be able to/can) in the preterite: pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudisteis, pudieron.
Pretérito indefinido Preterite
| yo | regular: podí |
|---|---|
| tú | regular: podiste |
| él/ella/usted | regular: podió |
| nosotros | regular: podimos |
| vosotros | regular: podisteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | regular: podieron |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the preterite
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Poder is irregular here. 6 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give podí, podiste, podió, podimos, podisteis, podieron.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Poder in a sentence
- Puedo ayudarte con esto.I can help you with this.
- No pudieron llegar a tiempo.They couldn't arrive on time.
Stem-changing (o→ue); irregular preterite stem 'pud-'; followed by infinitive.
FAQ
What is the preterite of poder?
Poder in the Spanish preterite: yo pude, tú pudiste, él/ella/usted pudo, nosotros pudimos, vosotros pudisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes pudieron.
Is poder irregular in the preterite?
Yes. 6 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: yo pude (regular would be podí); tú pudiste (regular would be podiste); él/ella/usted pudo (regular would be podió); nosotros pudimos (regular would be podimos); vosotros pudisteis (regular would be podisteis); ellos/ellas/ustedes pudieron (regular would be podieron).
When do you use the Spanish preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How is the preterite formed?
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Full poder conjugation, all tenses →
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