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pretérito perfecto simple de "poder"

English translation: The car could not be sold

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20:14 Jun 25, 2003

Spanish to English translations [PRO]

Spanish term or phrase: pretérito perfecto simple de "poder"

Me gustaría que alguien me confirmara qué dice la gramática inglesa sobre el uso de "could" con el valor del pretérito perfecto simple del español, es decir, "pude/pudiste/pudo,etc". Según tengo entendido, "could" se usa como equivalente de "podía / podría", y la imposibilidad de hacer algo en el pasado se traduce como "to be not able". Pero qué ocurre con oraciones en voz pasiva? Ejemplo:
El auto no pudo ser vendido.
Sería: The car could not be sold? La verdad que the car was not able to be sold suena ridículo.

Damian Cassani KudoZ activity Questions: 489 (3 open) (1 without valid answers) (36 closed without grading) Answers: 305
Local time: 23:11

English translation:The car could not be sold

Explanation:
La primera

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Note added at 2003-06-25 20:31:23 (GMT)
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to be able = ser capaz, apto, calificado, competente, hábil

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Note added at 2003-06-25 20:40:35 (GMT)
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muchos verbos modales pueden sustituirse por frases en ambos sentidos (español <> inglés)
Ése es un caso ...poder (can, be able)
Otro ejemplo es can (poder, saber)
I can go to the party (puedo ir a la fiesta)
I can swim (sé nadar)
Bueno, pero estoy seguro que esto lo sabías
Saludos
Minel

Selected response from:

Minel Núñez Buchillón
Local time: 04:11

Grading comment

Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +10

The car could not be sold

Minel Núñez Buchillón

4 +4

could not be sold

zhdim

5 +3

can/could/be able

Jane Lamb-Ruiz

5 +2

the car could not be sold

Rufino Pérez De La Sierra

4 +1

To be able is used, as far as I understand, particularly to replace the modal "can"in the future

Claudette Hepburn

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +10

The car could not be sold

Minel Núñez Buchillón
Local time: 04:11
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in pair: 12

Grading comment

Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

could not be sold

Explanation:
You were right. And "was not able to be sold" IS funny sounding, just as you indicate.

zhdim
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 175

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

the car could not be sold

Explanation:
That is the way I hear this most often, and that means exactly "El carro no pudo ser vendido." However, in Spanish it would be more common to say El carro no se pudo vender.

Hope that helps!

Rufino

Rufino Pérez De La Sierra
Canada
Local time: 23:11
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish
PRO pts in pair: 214

11 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

To be able is used, as far as I understand, particularly to replace the modal "can"in the future

Explanation:
since "can" has got "could" as a past form there is no problem in the sentence you mention. it does not mean the car was not able to sell itself: it just points to the fact it was imossible to sell it.
but why not then, just say: I/they/we could not sell the car?

"to be able to" is really mostly usedin the past when refering to people.: they
weren't able to meet our demands" for example.

Claudette Hepburn
France
Local time: 04:11
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in pair: 16

14 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

can/could/be able

Explanation:
el no pudo ir: He could not go
el no pudia ir: He could not go
el no pudia/o ir: He wasn't able to go

could=passado simples o imperfecto Y las tres frases dicen la misma cosa. El tiempo en espanol sera escogido segun el contexto mas amplio de la frase.

ajuda: to be able is ONLY FOR PEOPLE, so in the example above, He could not go is basically the same as He wasn't able to go but wasn't able cannot be applied to things. Only to people.

The carro no se pudo/no se podia vender= The car could not be sold. Because it's a thing.
What is agrammatical is:

The car wasn't able to be sold...

BUT

He wasn't able to sell HIMSELF yes,

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Note added at 2003-06-25 20:33:45 (GMT)
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SUMMARY: to be able and can and their past tenses are basically equivalent in meaning except FOR PEOPLE, you don\'t use TO BE ABLE WITH THINGS....applies to the present also....that\'s the easiest way not to get in trouble....

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Note added at 2003-06-25 20:35:49 (GMT)
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Mnemonic device:
People are able
Things are not :)

Jane Lamb-Ruiz
Native speaker of:

English,

Portuguese
PRO pts in pair: 7709

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pretérito perfecto simple de "poder"

English translation: The car could not be sold

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pretérito perfecto simple de "poder"

English translation: The car could not be sold

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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