The Imperfect Tense of prever is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example: Yo preveía que iba a llover más tarde. (I foresaw that it was going to rain later.)

This verb follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -er in the Imperfect Tense, with the ending -ía for all subjects.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Prever (to foresee) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of prever is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past, or to set the scene for another past action.

To foresee or anticipate: For example, Yo preveía que iba a llover. (I foresaw that it was going to rain.) This meaning suggests having an intuition or expectation about something that would happen in the future, based on the current situation.

To plan or prepare in advance: For example, Ellos preveían todas las posibles complicaciones. (They anticipated all possible complications.) This usage implies taking precautions or making arrangements ahead of time to account for potential issues.

To consider or take into account (colloquial): For example, ¿Previste cuánto nos iba a costar el viaje? (Did you consider how much the trip was going to cost us?) In this informal sense, it means factoring something into your plans or calculations.

Examples

Examples of Prever in the Imperfect Tense

Yo preveía que el viaje sería divertido, pero no imaginé que sería tan inolvidable. (I foresaw that the trip would be fun, but I didn’t imagine it would be so unforgettable.)

Ellos preveían las dificultades del proyecto, pero decidieron seguir adelante de todos modos. (They foresaw the difficulties of the project, but decided to move forward anyway.)

Nosotros preveíamos que la situación empeoraría si no tomábamos medidas preventivas. (We foresaw that the situation would worsen if we didn’t take preventive measures.)

Tú preveías el éxito de tu negocio desde el principio, ¿verdad? (You foresaw the success of your business from the beginning, right?)

Ella preveía los problemas que causaría su decisión, pero aun así la tomó. (She foresaw the problems her decision would cause, but she made it anyway.)

Yo preveía que mi mamá se enojaría si llegaba tarde a casa. (I foresaw that my mom would get angry if I came home late.)

Ellas preveían que el clima sería perfecto para ir de picnic. (They foresaw that the weather would be perfect for a picnic.)

Tú preveías que tu equipo ganaría el campeonato, ¿no? (You foresaw that your team would win the championship, didn’t you?)

Él preveía que su presentación sería un éxito rotundo. (He foresaw that his presentation would be a resounding success.)

Nosotros preveíamos que la nueva ley tendría un impacto significativo en nuestra industria. (We foresaw that the new law would have a significant impact on our industry.)

Ustedes preveían que el tráfico estaría horrible durante las vacaciones. (You foresaw that the traffic would be horrible during the holidays.)

Ellos preveían que la película sería un éxito de taquilla. (They foresaw that the movie would be a box office hit.)

Yo preveía que mi hermano se metería en problemas si seguía portándose mal. (I foresaw that my brother would get into trouble if he kept misbehaving.)

Ella preveía que su nuevo libro sería un bestseller. (She foresaw that her new book would be a bestseller.)

Nosotros preveíamos que la economía se recuperaría lentamente después de la recesión. (We foresaw that the economy would recover slowly after the recession.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Prever (to foresee) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.