Pudimos constatar la perforación.

Pudimos is the preterite form of poder for nosotros/nosotras: we could / we were able to.

In this sentence, it usually means we managed to or we were able to verify something:

• Pudimos constatar la perforación = We were able to confirm/verify the perforation.

Because it is in the preterite, it refers to a completed past action.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• Constatamos la perforación = We confirmed/verified the perforation.
• Pudimos constatar la perforación = We were able to confirm/verify the perforation.

Using pudimos adds the idea that there was some kind of successful result or that confirming it was something that became possible.

So pudimos constatar can sound a bit more like:

• we managed to verify
• we succeeded in confirming

Because after a conjugated form of poder, Spanish normally uses an infinitive:

• puedo ver = I can see
• podemos ir = we can go
• pudimos constatar = we were able to verify

So the structure is:

poder + infinitive

Here:

• pudimos = the conjugated verb
• constatar = the infinitive that tells you what was possible

Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• pudimos already tells us the subject is nosotros/nosotras = we

So:

• Pudimos constatar la perforación
• Nosotros pudimos constatar la perforación

Both are grammatically correct, but the version without nosotros is more natural unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Constatar means something like:

• to verify
• to confirm
• to establish as true
• sometimes to observe and confirm

It is a fairly formal word and is common in:

• medical language
• technical reports
• police or legal language
• academic or professional contexts

In everyday conversation, people might more often use verbs like:

• ver = to see
• comprobar = to check/verify
• confirmar = to confirm

So constatar sounds more formal and report-like than casual.

La perforación comes from perforar, to perforate / to puncture / to drill through.

Depending on context, la perforación could mean:

• the perforation
• the puncture
• the hole
• the drilling/perforation

For example:

• in medicine, it could refer to a perforation in an organ or tissue
• in mechanics, it could refer to a puncture
• in an industrial context, it could refer to drilling

So the exact English translation depends a lot on the situation.

Spanish uses articles more often than English does.

Here la perforación means the perforation. This suggests the speaker is referring to a specific perforation, probably one already known from the context.

Spanish often prefers an article where English might or might not use one, depending on style. In many contexts, la perforación is the most natural form.

This is a very common question.

• Pudimos = we were able to / we managed to
  This usually points to a completed event with a clear result.
• Podíamos = we could / we were able to / we used to be able to
  This is more about ability in general, background, or an ongoing situation in the past.

Compare:

• Pudimos constatar la perforación.
  = We succeeded in confirming it.

• Podíamos constatar la perforación.
  = We were able to confirm it / We could confirm it
  This sounds more like a general past ability or a less bounded situation, and is less likely in this context.

So pudimos fits better if the idea is that the confirmation actually happened.

It sounds formal, technical, or professional.

Reasons:

• constatar is a formal verb
• the whole sentence is compact and report-like
• la perforación sounds technical depending on context

A more everyday version might be something like:

• Pudimos ver la perforación.
• Pudimos comprobar la perforación.
• Confirmamos la perforación.

The original sentence would fit well in a medical report, inspection report, or formal statement.

Yes. In many contexts, that is exactly the best nuance.

In the preterite, poder often implies successful completion, especially when followed by an infinitive.

So:

• Pudimos constatar la perforación

often carries the sense of:

• We managed to verify the perforation
• We succeeded in confirming the perforation

This is stronger than simply describing general ability.

The stress is:

• pu-DI-mos
• cons-ta-TAR
• per-fo-ra-CIÓN

Perforación has a written accent because words ending in -n, -s, or a vowel are normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable. But perforación is stressed on the last syllable:

• per-fo-ra-CIÓN

So the accent mark shows that irregular stress.

Also, the ending -ción is very common in Spanish and usually corresponds to English -tion:

• información
• operación
• perforación

Yes. The best translation depends on context and style.

Possible translations include:

• We were able to verify the perforation.
• We confirmed the perforation.
• We managed to confirm the perforation.
• We established that there was a perforation.
• We observed and confirmed the perforation.

If the context is medical or technical, verify, confirm, or establish may sound best. If it is more general, confirmed may be the most natural English choice.