Entrever Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb entrever means to glimpse, to make out, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, entrever changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say entreveo una luz entre los árboles, and in the preterite you say entreví la costa desde el barco. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: entrever
- English: to glimpse, to make out
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: entreviendo
- Past participle: entrevisto
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + entrevisto)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for entrever, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Entrever follows ver: the present is entreveo, the preterite is entreví, the imperfect is entreveía, and the participle is entrevisto.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for entrever. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entreveo |
| tú | entrevés |
| él/ella/Ud. | entrevé |
| nosotros/as | entrevemos |
| vosotros/as | entrevéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entrevén |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entreví |
| tú | entreviste |
| él/ella/Ud. | entrevió |
| nosotros/as | entrevimos |
| vosotros/as | entrevisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entrevieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entreveía |
| tú | entreveías |
| él/ella/Ud. | entreveía |
| nosotros/as | entreveíamos |
| vosotros/as | entreveíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entreveían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entreveré |
| tú | entreverás |
| él/ella/Ud. | entreverá |
| nosotros/as | entreveremos |
| vosotros/as | entreveréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entreverán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entrevería |
| tú | entreverías |
| él/ella/Ud. | entrevería |
| nosotros/as | entreveríamos |
| vosotros/as | entreveríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entreverían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he entrevisto |
| tú | has entrevisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha entrevisto |
| nosotros/as | hemos entrevisto |
| vosotros/as | habéis entrevisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han entrevisto |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había entrevisto |
| tú | habías entrevisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | había entrevisto |
| nosotros/as | habíamos entrevisto |
| vosotros/as | habíais entrevisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían entrevisto |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré entrevisto |
| tú | habrás entrevisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá entrevisto |
| nosotros/as | habremos entrevisto |
| vosotros/as | habréis entrevisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán entrevisto |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría entrevisto |
| tú | habrías entrevisto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría entrevisto |
| nosotros/as | habríamos entrevisto |
| vosotros/as | habríais entrevisto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían entrevisto |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entrevea |
| tú | entreveas |
| él/ella/Ud. | entrevea |
| nosotros/as | entreveamos |
| vosotros/as | entreveáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entrevean |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | entreviera |
| tú | entrevieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | entreviera |
| nosotros/as | entreviéramos |
| vosotros/as | entrevierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entrevieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | entrevé |
| él/ella/Ud. | entrevea |
| nosotros/as | entreveamos |
| vosotros/as | entreved |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entrevean |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | entreveas |
| él/ella/Ud. | entrevea |
| nosotros/as | entreveamos |
| vosotros/as | entreveáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | entrevean |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | entreviendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy entreviendo |
| Past participle | entrevisto | with haber for the perfect tenses: he entrevisto |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of ver, with forms such as preveo in the present, preví in the preterite, preveía in the imperfect, and the participle previsto (entrevisto for entrever). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For entrever, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Entreveo una luz entre los árboles. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of ver, with forms such as preveo in the present, preví in the preterite, preveía in the imperfect, and the participle previsto (entrevisto for entrever). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For entrever, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, entreví una figura en la niebla. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of ver, with forms such as preveo in the present, preví in the preterite, preveía in the imperfect, and the participle previsto (entrevisto for entrever). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For entrever, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, entreveía la costa desde el barco. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For entrever, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, entreveré algo raro en su mirada. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For entrever, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Entrevería una luz entre los árboles si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is entrevisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For entrever, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he entrevisto una figura en la niebla. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is entrevisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For entrever, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había entrevisto la costa desde el barco antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is entrevisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For entrever, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré entrevisto algo raro en su mirada. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is entrevisto, not the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For entrever, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría entrevisto una luz entre los árboles con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of ver, with forms such as preveo in the present, preví in the preterite, preveía in the imperfect, and the participle previsto (entrevisto for entrever). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For entrever, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él entrevea una figura en la niebla. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of ver, with forms such as preveo in the present, preví in the preterite, preveía in the imperfect, and the participle previsto (entrevisto for entrever). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For entrever, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él entreviera la costa desde el barco, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of ver, with forms such as preveo in the present, preví in the preterite, preveía in the imperfect, and the participle previsto (entrevisto for entrever). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For entrever, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Entrevé algo raro en su mirada! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of ver, with forms such as preveo in the present, preví in the preterite, preveía in the imperfect, and the participle previsto (entrevisto for entrever). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. For entrever, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No entreveas una luz entre los árboles. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with entrever, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Entreveo una luz entre los árboles. — I glimpse a light among the trees.
- Entrevé una figura en la niebla. — He/she glimpses a figure in the fog.
- Ayer, entreví la costa desde el barco. — Yesterday, I glimpsed the coast from the boat.
- Antes, nosotros entreveíamos algo raro en su mirada. — Before, we used to glimpse something strange in his look.
- Mañana, tú entreverás una luz entre los árboles. — Tomorrow, you will glimpse a light among the trees.
- Yo entrevería una figura en la niebla si tuviera más tiempo. — I would glimpse a figure in the fog if I had more time.
- Él ha entrevisto la costa desde el barco. — He has glimpsed the coast from the boat.
- Espero que él entrevea algo raro en su mirada. — I hope he glimpses something strange in his look.
- Yo ya había entrevisto una luz entre los árboles antes de salir. — I had already glimpsed a light among the trees before leaving.
- Ellos entreveían una figura en la niebla cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to glimpse a figure in the fog when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo entrevé una luz entre los árboles. — Right: Yo entreveo una luz entre los árboles. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (entreveía), not the preterite. The preterite (entreví) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on entrever. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una luz entre los árboles. (present tense) A. entreveo B. entrevés C. entrevé D. entrevemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ una figura en la niebla. (preterite) A. entreví B. entreviste C. entrevieron D. entrevió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la costa desde el barco. (imperfect) A. entreveías B. entreveían C. entreveíamos D. entreveía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ algo raro en su mirada. (future) A. entreveremos B. entreverás C. entreveré D. entreverá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una luz entre los árboles si pudiera. (conditional) A. entrevería B. entreverías C. entreverían D. entreveo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una figura en la niebla. (present subjunctive) A. entreveas B. entreveamos C. entreveo D. entrevea
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la costa desde el barco, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. entreviéramos B. entreveo C. entreviera D. entrevieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ algo raro en su mirada. (present perfect) A. han entrevisto B. hemos entrevisto C. he entrevisto D. has entrevisto
Complete the command: ¡___ una luz entre los árboles! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. entrevé B. entrevea C. entreveamos D. entreved
Which is the gerund of entrever, used with estar for the progressive? A. entrevisto B. entreveo C. entreví D. entreviendo
Answer key
- entreveo — The first-person present of entrever is entreveo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- entrevió — The third-person preterite of entrever is entrevió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- entreveíamos — The nosotros imperfect of entrever is entreveíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- entreverás — The second-person future of entrever is entreverás.
- entrevería — The first-person conditional of entrever is entrevería, the form for what would happen.
- entrevea — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of entrever is entrevea.
- entreviera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of entrever is entreviera.
- hemos entrevisto — The nosotros present perfect of entrever is hemos entrevisto: hemos + entrevisto.
- entrevé — The affirmative tú imperative of entrever is entrevé.
- entreviendo — The gerund of entrever is entreviendo: estoy entreviendo. The participle entrevisto is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does entrever mean in English?
Entrever means to glimpse, to make out. It is used in everyday situations such as Entreveo una luz entre los árboles. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is entrever regular or irregular?
Entrever is irregular in present, preterite, imperfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The other tenses follow the regular pattern. Learn the irregular forms from the tables above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
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, and use ver for to see. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I glimpse” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo entreví una figura en la niebla. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo entreveía la costa desde el barco. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he entrevisto una figura en la niebla.
How do I practise entrever?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the entrever examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Entrever in the preterite tense — the full preterite-tense table for entrever.
- Entrever examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for entrever.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Prever conjugation — another -er verb to compare with entrever.
- Recaer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with entrever.
- Decaer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with entrever.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.