Breakdown of El consejero venía planeando el complot, pero no pudo gobernar.
pero
but
no
no, not
poder
to be able to / can
venir
to come
planear
to plan (make plans)
el consejero
the counselor
gobernar
to govern
el complot
the plot
Questions & Answers about El consejero venía planeando el complot, pero no pudo gobernar.
Why is no pudo translated as "didn't manage to" rather than "wasn't able to"?
This highlights how mental and state verbs change meaning in the preterite tense. The imperfect form (no podía) would just describe his general lack of ability or power to govern in the past. The preterite form (no pudo) shows that an actual attempt was made to govern, but the action failed. That is why "didn't manage to" or "failed to" is the most accurate translation here.
Why use venía planeando instead of estaba planeando?
Using venir with a gerund (an -ando or -iendo word) emphasizes an action that started in the past and actively built up or continued over time. While estaba planeando simply means he was planning it at a specific past moment, venía planeando gives the stronger, progressive meaning of "had been planning it for a while" leading up to the main event.
Why isn't there a preposition between pudo and gobernar?
The verb poder is always followed directly by an infinitive (an unconjugated verb like gobernar). While many Spanish verbs need a connecting preposition before an infinitive—like aprender a (to learn to) or tratar de (to try to)—poder never takes one.
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