This is the 2689th most frequent Portuguese word.
podia
"Podia" means "could" or "was able to" in English, referring to a past ability or possibility.
In this sentence, 'podia' is used to express a past capability or possibility. It is the imperfect tense of the verb 'poder.'
Eu podia ir ao parque ontem, mas decidi ficar em casa.
I could go to the park yesterday, but I decided to stay home.
Here, 'podia' conveys a conditional or hypothetical situation in the past or present regarding the truth of a statement.
Podia ser verdade o que ele disse, mas prefiro verificar.
What he said could be true, but I prefer to check.
In this case, 'podia' is used to express a hypothetical ability depending on a condition (having time).