Prever Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Prever means “to foresee, to predict”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Prever means to foresee or to predict, and it is used for foreseeing problems, predicting results and planning ahead. It follows the pattern of ver, with the present preveo, the preterite preví, the imperfect preveía and the irregular participle previsto. This page shows prever 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 preveo problemas antes de empezar.” — I foresee problems before starting.
Prever in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how prever 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 prever in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Preveo problemas antes de empezar.” — I foresee problems before starting.
“¿Tú prevés el resultado con antelación?” — Do you foresee the result in advance?
“Prevé dificultades en el viaje.” — He/she foresees difficulties on the trip.
“Prevemos cambios en el mercado.” — We foresee changes in the market.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show prever in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar.” — Yesterday, I foresaw problems before starting. (preterite)
“Él preveía el resultado con antelación todos los días.” — He used to foresee the result in advance 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 prever stays the same.
“Nosotros preveremos dificultades en el viaje mañana.” — We will foresee difficulties on the trip tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has previsto cambios en el mercado?” — Have you foreseen changes in the market? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Prevéis problemas antes de empezar.” — You foresee problems before starting.
“Prevén el resultado con antelación.” — They foresee the result in advance.
“Preveo dificultades en el viaje.” — I foresee difficulties on the trip.
“Prevé cambios en el mercado.” — He/she foresees changes in the market.
Prever 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 prever appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú prevés problemas antes de empezar?” — Do you foresee problems before starting?
Carlos: “Sí, yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.” — Yes, I foresee problems before starting.
Lucía: “Nosotros prevemos el resultado con antelación.” — We foresee the result in advance.
Carlos: “Y ellos prevén dificultades en el viaje.” — And they foresee difficulties on the trip.
Lucía: “Vosotros prevéis cambios en el mercado.” — You foresee changes in the market.
Carlos: “Sí, y él prevé el resultado con antelación.” — Yes, and he foresees the result in advance.
A short paragraph
Lucía prevé problemas antes de empezar, y Carlos prevé el resultado con antelación. Nosotros prevemos dificultades en el viaje, y ellos prevén cambios en el mercado. Yo preveo dificultades en el viaje, y mi padre prevé cambios en el mercado. Prever is part of everyday life, because to foresee, to predict is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with prever
These are the errors learners actually make with prever. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo prevé problemas antes de empezar.” Right: “Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.” Why: The person matters: prevé is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is preveo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo he prevido dificultades en el viaje.” Right: “Yo he previsto dificultades en el viaje.” Why: The past participle of prever is irregular: previsto, not prevido. Every perfect tense uses he previsto, había previsto and so on.
Wrong: “Treating prever and predecir as identical in every context.” Right: “Prever means to foresee, to predict, while predecir means to predict.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: prever fits sentences such as Preveo problemas antes de empezar, while predecir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy previsto el resultado con antelación.” Right: “Yo he previsto el resultado con antelación.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he previsto, has previsto, ha previsto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo preví dificultades en el viaje todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo preveía dificultades en el viaje todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (preveía), not the preterite. The preterite (preví) is for one finished action.
Quiz: prever in use
Ten questions on prever in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ problemas antes de empezar.” (Problems before starting.)
- (a) prevéis
- (b) preveo
- (c) prevés
Answer: prevéis — The vosotros/as form of prever in the present is prevéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el resultado con antelación.” (The result in advance.)
- (a) preveo
- (b) prevés
- (c) prevén
Answer: prevén — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of prever in the present is prevén.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ problemas antes de empezar.” (Problems before starting.)
- (a) previó
- (b) preví
- (c) previste
Answer: preví — The yo form of prever in the preterite is preví.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el resultado con antelación.” (The result in advance.)
- (a) preveía
- (b) preveías
- (c) preveíamos
Answer: preveía — The él/ella/Ud. form of prever in the imperfect is preveía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ dificultades en el viaje.” (Difficulties on the trip.)
- (a) preveré
- (b) preverás
- (c) preveremos
Answer: preveremos — The nosotros/as form of prever in the future is preveremos.
6. What does prever mean in English?
- (a) to glimpse, to make out
- (b) to foresee, to predict
- (c) to predict
Answer: to foresee, to predict — Prever means “to foresee, to predict”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.
- (b) Ellos prevé problemas antes de empezar.
- (c) Yo preveo el resultado con antelación ayer.
Answer: Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar. — “Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I foresee problems before starting.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo prevén problemas antes de empezar.
- (b) Yo preví problemas antes de empezar.
- (c) Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.
Answer: Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar. — “Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.” 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 prever in the present tense?
- (a) prevés
- (b) prevemos
- (c) preveo
Answer: prevemos — The nosotros form is prevemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar.
- (b) Nosotros preveremos problemas antes de empezar mañana.
- (c) Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.
Answer: Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar. — “Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I foresee' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo preveo problemas antes de empezar todos los días'.
How do you say 'I foresee' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo preví el resultado con antelación'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo preveía el resultado con antelación todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he previsto el resultado con antelación'.
What is the difference between prever and predecir?
Prever means to foresee, to predict, while predecir means to predict. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use prever when you mean to foresee, to predict, as in Preveo problemas antes de empezar.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of prever — every tense of prever in one place.
- Prever 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 prever and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of prever until they are automatic.