Entrever Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Entrever means “to glimpse, to make out”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Entrever means to glimpse or to make out, and it is used for half-seeing something through the fog, through trees or in the dark. It follows the pattern of ver, with the present entreveo, the preterite entreví, the imperfect entreveía and the irregular participle entrevisto. This page shows entrever in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.” — I glimpse a light among the trees.
Entrever in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how entrever is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use entrever in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Entreveo una luz entre los árboles.” — I glimpse a light among the trees.
“¿Tú entrevés una figura en la niebla?” — Do you glimpse a figure in the fog?
“Entrevé la costa desde el barco.” — He/she glimpses the coast from the boat.
“Entrevemos algo raro en su mirada.” — We glimpse something strange in his look.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show entrever in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo entreví una luz entre los árboles.” — Yesterday, I glimpsed a light among the trees. (preterite)
“Él entreveía una figura en la niebla todos los días.” — He used to glimpse a figure in the fog every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of entrever stays the same.
“Nosotros entreveremos la costa desde el barco mañana.” — We will glimpse the coast from the boat tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has entrevisto algo raro en su mirada?” — Have you glimpsed something strange in his look? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Entrevéis una luz entre los árboles.” — You glimpse a light among the trees.
“Entrevén una figura en la niebla.” — They glimpse a figure in the fog.
“Entreveo la costa desde el barco.” — I glimpse the coast from the boat.
“Entrevé algo raro en su mirada.” — He/she glimpses something strange in his look.
Entrever in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how entrever appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú entrevés una luz entre los árboles?” — Do you glimpse a light among the trees?
Carlos: “Sí, yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.” — Yes, I glimpse a light among the trees.
Lucía: “Nosotros entrevemos una figura en la niebla.” — We glimpse a figure in the fog.
Carlos: “Y ellos entrevén la costa desde el barco.” — And they glimpse the coast from the boat.
Lucía: “Vosotros entrevéis algo raro en su mirada.” — You glimpse something strange in his look.
Carlos: “Sí, y él entrevé una figura en la niebla.” — Yes, and he glimpses a figure in the fog.
A short paragraph
Lucía entrevé una luz entre los árboles, y Carlos entrevé una figura en la niebla. Nosotros entrevemos la costa desde el barco, y ellos entrevén algo raro en su mirada. Yo entreveo la costa desde el barco, y mi padre entrevé algo raro en su mirada. Entrever is part of everyday life, because to glimpse, to make out is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with entrever
These are the errors learners actually make with entrever. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo entrevé una luz entre los árboles.” Right: “Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.” Why: The person matters: entrevé is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is entreveo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo he entrevido la costa desde el barco.” Right: “Yo he entrevisto la costa desde el barco.” Why: The past participle of entrever is irregular: entrevisto, not entrevido. Every perfect tense uses he entrevisto, había entrevisto and so on.
Wrong: “Treating entrever and ver as identical in every context.” Right: “Entrever means to glimpse, to make out, while ver means to see.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: entrever fits sentences such as Entreveo una luz entre los árboles, while ver belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy entrevisto una figura en la niebla.” Right: “Yo he entrevisto una figura en la niebla.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he entrevisto, has entrevisto, ha entrevisto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo entreví la costa desde el barco todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo entreveía la costa desde el barco todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (entreveía), not the preterite. The preterite (entreví) is for one finished action.
Quiz: entrever in use
Ten questions on entrever in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ una luz entre los árboles.” (A light among the trees.)
- (a) entrevéis
- (b) entreveo
- (c) entrevés
Answer: entrevéis — The vosotros/as form of entrever in the present is entrevéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ una figura en la niebla.” (A figure in the fog.)
- (a) entreveo
- (b) entrevés
- (c) entrevén
Answer: entrevén — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of entrever in the present is entrevén.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ una luz entre los árboles.” (A light among the trees.)
- (a) entrevió
- (b) entreví
- (c) entreviste
Answer: entreví — The yo form of entrever in the preterite is entreví.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ una figura en la niebla.” (A figure in the fog.)
- (a) entreveía
- (b) entreveías
- (c) entreveíamos
Answer: entreveía — The él/ella/Ud. form of entrever in the imperfect is entreveía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la costa desde el barco.” (The coast from the boat.)
- (a) entreveré
- (b) entreverás
- (c) entreveremos
Answer: entreveremos — The nosotros/as form of entrever in the future is entreveremos.
6. What does entrever mean in English?
- (a) to foresee, to predict
- (b) to glimpse, to make out
- (c) to see
Answer: to glimpse, to make out — Entrever means “to glimpse, to make out”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.
- (b) Ellos entrevé una luz entre los árboles.
- (c) Yo entreveo una figura en la niebla ayer.
Answer: Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles. — “Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I glimpse a light among the trees.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo entrevén una luz entre los árboles.
- (b) Yo entreví una luz entre los árboles.
- (c) Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.
Answer: Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles. — “Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of entrever in the present tense?
- (a) entrevés
- (b) entrevemos
- (c) entreveo
Answer: entrevemos — The nosotros form is entrevemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo entreví una luz entre los árboles.
- (b) Nosotros entreveremos una luz entre los árboles mañana.
- (c) Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.
Answer: Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles. — “Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I glimpse' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles todos los días'.
How do you say 'I glimpse' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo entreví una figura en la niebla'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo entreveía una figura en la niebla todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he entrevisto una figura en la niebla'.
What is the difference between entrever and ver?
Entrever means to glimpse, to make out, while ver means to see. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use entrever when you mean to glimpse, to make out, as in Entreveo una luz entre los árboles.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of entrever — every tense of entrever in one place.
- Entrever in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on entrever and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of entrever until they are automatic.