Ver Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

ver — to see — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Ver means to see and to watch: ver una película, ver a un amigo, ver la televisión. Its present is veo, its preterite vi (no accent), its imperfect veía keeps the e, and its participle is visto. It also means to understand in phrases like ya veo (I see, I understand). On this page you will find ver in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with ver

In the present tense

  • “Yo veo la televisión por la noche.” — “I watch television at night.”
  • “Ella ve a sus amigos cada semana.” — “She sees her friends every week.”
  • “Nosotros vemos una película los viernes.” — “We watch a film on Fridays.”
  • “Ellos ven el partido en el bar.” — “They watch the match in the bar.”
  • “¿Tú ves bien sin gafas?” — “Can you see well without glasses?”
  • “Vosotros véis el mar desde aquí.” — “You can see the sea from here.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo vi una película estupenda.” — “Yesterday I saw a wonderful film.”
  • “Ella vio a su hermano en la estación.” — “She saw her brother at the station.”
  • “Nosotros vimos el eclipse desde el jardín.” — “We saw the eclipse from the garden.”
  • “Ellos vieron el accidente desde la ventana.” — “They saw the accident from the window.”
  • “¿Tú viste el partido anoche?” — “Did you see the match last night?”
  • “El médico vio al paciente por la mañana.” — “The doctor saw the patient in the morning.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo veía una película en el cine.” — “As a child, I used to see a film at the cinema.”
  • “Mañana, yo veré una película en el cine.” — “Tomorrow, I will see a film at the cinema.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo vería una película en el cine.” — “If I could, I would see a film at the cinema.”
  • “Yo he visto una película en el cine.” — “I have seen a film at the cinema.”

Ver in context

Cada día, yo veo una película en el cine. Mi amigo también ve una película en el cine cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo veo una película de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de ver es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo vi una película en el cine. Mi amigo vio una película en el cine también, y por la noche yo vi una película otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de ver aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with ver

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo veo — learners write vo.

Right: Yo veo la televisión.

The yo form is veo, with the e kept: never vo.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Ayer yo ví una película — wrong accent.

Right: Ayer yo veo una película.

Vi is a one-syllable preterite and takes no accent, unlike ví.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Treating ver as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present veo, preterite vi.

ver is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: ver in everyday use

Ten questions on ver across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of ver in the present tense?

  • A) veo
  • B) ves
  • C) ve
  • D) vemos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is veo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ver in the present tense?

  • A) veo
  • B) ves
  • C) vemos
  • D) ve

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is ve.

3. What is the yo form of ver in the preterite?

  • A) vio
  • B) vimos
  • C) vi
  • D) viste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is vi.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ver in the preterite?

  • A) vio
  • B) vieron
  • C) vi
  • D) viste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is vieron.

5. What is the yo form of ver in the imperfect?

  • A) veía
  • B) veías
  • C) veía
  • D) veíamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is veía.

6. What is the tú form of ver in the future?

  • A) veré
  • B) verá
  • C) veremos
  • D) verás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is verás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ver in the conditional?

  • A) verías
  • B) veríamos
  • C) vería
  • D) vería

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is vería.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of ver in the present perfect?

  • A) ha visto
  • B) hemos visto
  • C) he visto
  • D) has visto

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos visto.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ la televisión por la noche.” (I watch television at night.)

  • A) veo
  • B) ves
  • C) ve
  • D) vemos

Answer: A — The sentence needs veo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo veo la televisión.
  • B) Yo veo — learners write vo.

Answer: A — The yo form is veo, with the e kept: never vo.

Frequently asked questions

What does ver mean?

ver means “to see” in English. Ver means to see and to watch: ver una película, ver a un amigo, ver la televisión. Its present is veo, its preterite vi (no accent), its imperfect veía keeps the e, and its participle is visto. It also means to understand in phrases like ya veo (I see, I understand).

Is ver regular?

No. ver is an irregular -er verb (irregular in present, preterite, imperfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, preterite, imperfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use ver in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — vi, viste, vio — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — veía, veías, veía — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to ver as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise ver?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Ver Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for ver to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo veo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo vi…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo veré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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