Ver Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The preterite of ver — to see — is the form you need for finished actions in the past. 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). This page gives you the complete preterite table for ver, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ayer yo vi una película estupenda.” — “Yesterday I saw a wonderful film”.

Preterite conjugation of ver

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for ver. 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), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Preterite indicative — ver

Person Form
yo vi
tú viste
él/ella/Ud. vio
nosotros/as vimos
vosotros/as visteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. vieron

The gerund of ver is viendo and the past participle is visto. The participle matters here because the preterite is often confused with the perfect tenses — keep them apart.

How the preterite of ver is formed

The preterite of ver does not follow the regular pattern. If ver were regular, the preterite forms would be yo → ví, tú → viste, él/ella/Ud. → vió, nosotros/as → vimos, vosotros/as → visteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → vieron — but ver breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are vi, viste, vio, vimos, visteis and vieron.

The preterite stem here is vi-, which you cannot get from the infinitive by rule — it has to be learnt as part of the verb. The endings then attach to that stem: vi, viste, vio, vimos, visteis and vieron. This is the same pattern the verb follows in the imperfect subjunctive, which is built on the preterite third-person plural, so learning the preterite pays twice.

A note on spelling: none of the preterite forms of ver carries a written accent, which is one less thing to memorise — but do not add one by habit. Copy the forms from the table above exactly as written.

When to use the preterite of ver

1. Completed actions at a specific time

Use the preterite for an action that started and finished in the past. For example, with ver: “Ayer yo vi una película estupenda.” — “Yesterday I saw a wonderful film”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. A sequence of actions

Use the preterite to list one finished action after another. For example, with ver: “Ella vio a su hermano en la estación.” — “She saw her brother at the station”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. Actions that interrupt an ongoing situation

Use the preterite for the action that breaks into a longer background scene. For example, with ver: “Nosotros vimos el eclipse desde el jardín.” — “We saw the eclipse from the garden”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Sudden changes and achievements

Use the preterite for a change of state or something achieved at one moment. For example, with ver: “Ellos vieron el accidente desde la ventana.” — “They saw the accident from the window”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Preterite vs imperfect: ver finished, ver in progress

The preterite and the imperfect are the two past tenses, and choosing between them is the hardest decision in Spanish past-tense grammar. The preterite is for what happened and finished; the imperfect is for what was happening, what used to happen, and the background. Compare the pairs below — the preterite form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.

  • Preterite tense: “Ayer yo vi una película.” — “Yesterday I saw a film.”

  • Imperfect: “De niño, yo veía una película.” — “As a child, I used to see a film.”

  • Preterite tense: “Ella vio una película a las ocho.” — “She saw a film at eight.”

  • Imperfect: “Ella veía una película cada día.” — “She used to see a film every day.”

  • Preterite tense: “Nosotros vimos una película el sábado.” — “We saw a film on Saturday.”

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros veíamos una película todos los sábados.” — “We used to see a film every Saturday.”

Example sentences: ver in the preterite

Six sentences using only the preterite of ver, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “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.”

Common mistakes with ver in the preterite

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo veo — learners write vo.

Right: Yo vi 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 vi una película.

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

Quiz: ver in the preterite

Eight questions on the preterite of ver. Answers with explanations follow each question.

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

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

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

2. What is the tú form of ver in the preterite?

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

Answer: D — The tú form in the preterite is viste.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ver in the preterite?

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

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite is vio.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of ver in the preterite?

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

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the preterite is vimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Ayer yo ___ una película estupenda.” (Yesterday I saw a wonderful film.)

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

Answer: A — The sentence needs vi.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___o a su hermano en la estación.” (She saw her brother at the station.)

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

Answer: D — The sentence needs vi.

7. Which sentence is correct?

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

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

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Ayer yo vi una película.
  • B) Ayer yo ví una película — wrong accent.

Answer: A — Vi is a one-syllable preterite and takes no accent, unlike ví.

Frequently asked questions

Is ver regular in the preterite?

No. ver is irregular in the preterite: the forms are vi, viste, vio, vimos, visteis and vieron. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of ver in the preterite?

It is vi. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for ver it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the preterite of ver instead of the present?

Use the preterite when the action is finished and tied to a specific moment — yesterday, last week, at eight o’clock. If the action was ongoing, habitual, or just background to another event, the imperfect is the right choice, not the preterite.

How can I remember the preterite forms of ver?

Say the six forms aloud in order — vi, viste, vio, vimos, visteis, vieron — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and 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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