I am unsure why you choose imperfect for being able to see the view on that particular occasion.
Podíamos v. Pudimos
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William M.Kwiziq community member
Podíamos v. Pudimos
This question relates to:Spanish writing exercise "Weekend in Barcelona"
Asked 4 years ago
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Julia B.Kwiziq community member
I was wondsering the same thing as William. I feel it should have been pudimos, simple preterite.
![](/files/shared/_avatar-mids/user/166735/FB_IMG_1595976921969_602f469bbc8d7.jpg)
Stephanie S.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Since no one ever answered this, I will toss out my thought, and maybe it will spark a discussion: my understanding of the preterite with poder is that it is indicative of being successful at being able to do something--" pude reparar la bicicleta"--whereas the imperfect indicates a general sense of being able to do something--we could see all of Barcelona, as could anyone else who went up there.
Can anyone corroborate or refute this?
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