This is the 4278th most frequent Spanish word.
pud
The preterite form of "poder," meaning "I could" or "I was able to."
In this sentence, 'pudimos' is the conjugated form of the verb 'poder' in the preterite tense, used to denote an action of being unable to achieve something at a specific moment in the past.
Ayer no pudimos llegar a tiempo.
Yesterday we couldn't arrive on time.
Here, 'pudimos' expresses a hypothetical past capacity or possibility contingent upon fulfilling a condition, highlighting subjunctive and perfective aspects in Spanish grammar.
Si hubiéramos tenido más tiempo, pudimos haber terminado el proyecto.
If we had had more time, we could have finished the project.
In this context, 'pudimos' shows accomplished capability in doing something in the past, stressing a positive outcome despite external conditions.