This is the 970th most frequent Romanian word.
puteau
"Could" (third person plural, past tense of "a putea" - to be able).
Here, 'puteau' expresses a conditional ability, showing what was possible under a hypothetical scenario in the past.
Dacă ar fi avut mai mult timp, ei puteau să termine proiectul.
If they had more time, they could have finished the project.
In this question, 'puteau' reflects past potential or capability questioned in a hypothetical sense.
Credeai că ei puteau să câștige competiția?
Did you think they could win the competition?
The word 'puteau' is used as the imperfect form of the verb 'a putea' (to be able to), indicating a possibility or ability that existed in the past.