je ne pus

could not

→ je
phrase Rare #31,763
could not Literary/simple past form of pouvoir in the first person singular. Negative form: I could not.
FR: Je ne pus répondre à sa question.
EN: I could not answer his question.

Je ne pus trouver sa maison.

I couldn't find his house.

Je ne pus m'empêcher de rire.

I couldn't help laughing.

Je ne pus entrer car la porte était fermée.

I couldn't get in because the door was closed.

Les enfants faisaient tant de bruit que je ne pus étudier.

The children were making so much noise that I couldn’t study.

Je ne pus me tenir debout plus longtemps.

I could not stand any longer.

Je ne pus fermer l'œil.

I couldn't sleep a wink.

— L'Accusé (2017)

Je ne pus pas saisir ce qu'il disait.

I couldn't make out what he was saying.

Je ne pus le convaincre de son erreur.

I could not convince him of his mistake.

D'abord, je ne pus entrer.

At first, I couldn't get in.

— Rebecca (1940)