Prever in the Preterite Tense
Prever means “to foresee, to predict”, and this page covers exactly one thing: prever in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for prever, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about prever in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar.” — Yesterday, I foresaw problems before starting. Everything on this page uses the forms of prever exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Prever in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | preví |
| tú | previste |
| él/ella/Ud. | previó |
| nosotros/as | previmos |
| vosotros/as | previsteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | previeron |
Gerund: previendo · Past participle: previsto
The gerund is previendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy previendo” means the action of prever is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is previsto, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he previsto” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how prever is used.
How the preterite of prever is formed
Prever is regular in the preterite tense. Take the stem prev and add the preterite endings for -er verbs: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron, giving preví, previste, previó, previmos, previsteis, previeron. Watch the accents: the yo form is preví and the él/ella/Ud. form is previó.
The irregularity of prever is in its past participle, previsto, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he previsto, has previsto, ha previsto.
When to use the preterite of prever
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use prever in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. One finished action
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar.” — Yesterday, I foresaw problems before starting.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros previmos el resultado con antelación.” — We foresaw the result in advance.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él previó dificultades en el viaje ayer.” — He foresaw difficulties on the trip yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos previeron cambios en el mercado de repente.” — They foresaw changes in the market suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú previste problemas antes de empezar la semana pasada.” — You foresaw problems before starting last week.
Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar.” — Yesterday, I foresaw problems before starting.
Imperfect: “Yo preveía problemas antes de empezar cada día.” — I used to foresee problems before starting every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él previó el resultado con antelación.” — Last night, he foresaw the result in advance.
Imperfect: “Él preveía el resultado con antelación todos los días.” — He used to foresee the result in advance every day.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros previmos dificultades en el viaje ayer.” — We foresaw difficulties on the trip yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros preveíamos dificultades en el viaje cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to foresee difficulties on the trip when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: prever in the preterite
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Preví problemas antes de empezar.” — I foresaw problems before starting.
“Previste el resultado con antelación.” — You foresaw the result in advance.
“Previó dificultades en el viaje.” — He/she foresaw difficulties on the trip.
“Previmos cambios en el mercado.” — We foresaw changes in the market.
“Previsteis problemas antes de empezar.” — You foresaw problems before starting.
“Previeron el resultado con antelación.” — They foresaw the result in advance.
“Preví dificultades en el viaje.” — I foresaw difficulties on the trip.
“Previó cambios en el mercado.” — He/she foresaw changes in the market.
Common mistakes with prever in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos previó problemas antes de empezar.” Right: “Ellos previeron problemas antes de empezar.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form previeron. The singular previó belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
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.
Wrong: “Nosotros previste dificultades en el viaje.” Right: “Nosotros previmos dificultades en el viaje.” Why: Nosotros needs previmos. The tú form previste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos preví cambios en el mercado.” Right: “Ellos previeron cambios en el mercado.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form previeron, not the yo form preví.
Quiz: prever in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ problemas antes de empezar.” (Problems before starting.)
- (a) preví
- (b) previste
- (c) previó
Answer: preví — The yo form of prever in the preterite is preví. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ el resultado con antelación?” (The result in advance.)
- (a) preví
- (b) previó
- (c) previste
Answer: previste — The tú form of prever in the preterite is previste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ dificultades en el viaje.” (Difficulties on the trip.)
- (a) previste
- (b) previó
- (c) preví
Answer: previó — The él/ella/Ud. form of prever in the preterite is previó. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ cambios en el mercado.” (Changes in the market.)
- (a) previmos
- (b) preví
- (c) previste
Answer: previmos — The nosotros/as form of prever in the preterite is previmos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of prever in the preterite?
- (a) preví
- (b) previste
- (c) previsteis
Answer: previsteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes previsteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros previsteis problemas antes de empezar.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el resultado con antelación.” (The result in advance.)
- (a) previste
- (b) previeron
- (c) preví
Answer: previeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of prever in the preterite is previeron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of prever in the preterite?
- (a) preví
- (b) previste
- (c) previó
Answer: preví — The yo form is preví. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo preveía problemas antes de empezar cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo preveré problemas antes de empezar.
- (c) Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar.
Answer: Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar. — “Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is prever regular in the preterite?
Prever is a spelling-change verb, so some forms change spelling to keep the same consonant sound, but the preterite forms in the table above are the correct ones: preví, previste, previó, previmos, previsteis, previeron.
What is the past participle of prever?
The past participle is previsto: 'He previsto' means 'I have foreseen'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is previendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for prever?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo preví problemas antes de empezar. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo preveía problemas antes de empezar cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of prever?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo preví, tú previste, él/ella/Ud. previó, nosotros/as previmos, vosotros/as previsteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. previeron. Then write three of your own sentences with prever in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of prever — every tense of prever in one place.
- Prever examples and quiz — more sentences with prever and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on prever and other verbs.