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Conjugation Chart of “Ir” (to go) in the Preterite (Past) Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | fui |
| Tú | fuiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | fue |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | fuimos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | fueron |
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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Ir”
The preterite of ir is used to express when you went somewhere at a specific moment in the past. For example, you might say “I went to the store yesterday,” indicating a completed journey.
This is a highly irregular verb in the preterite tense. It uses the same forms as the preterite of ‘ser’, making it one of the most unique verbs in Spanish.
How to Use Ir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The preterite of ir expresses completed movement or travel in the past. This is one of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish.
Physical Movement: Used for completed trips or journeys, for example Fui al mercado ayer (I went to the market yesterday). Fuimos a la playa el verano pasado (We went to the beach last summer).
Metaphorical Movement: Can describe progression through life events, for example Fue bien en el examen (It went well in the exam). Also used in common phrases like ¿Cómo te fue? (How did it go for you?)
Real Life Examples of Ir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Fui al mercado ayer. (I went to the market yesterday.)
¿Fuiste a la fiesta? (Did you go to the party?)
Mi hermana fue al doctor esta mañana. (My sister went to the doctor this morning.)
Fuimos al cine el sábado. (We went to the movies on Saturday.)
Los turistas fueron al museo. (The tourists went to the museum.)
Fui a la playa el fin de semana. (I went to the beach on the weekend.)
¿Por qué no fuiste a clase? (Why didn’t you go to class?)
El presidente fue a la conferencia. (The president went to the conference.)
Fuimos de vacaciones a la montaña. (We went on vacation to the mountains.)
Los niños fueron al parque. (The children went to the park.)
Fui al gimnasio esta mañana. (I went to the gym this morning.)
¿Fuiste al supermercado? (Did you go to the supermarket?)
Mi primo fue a la universidad. (My cousin went to university.)
Fuimos a visitar a los abuelos. (We went to visit the grandparents.)
Los estudiantes fueron de excursión. (The students went on a field trip.)
Conjugation Chart with English Translations
Conjugations of Ir (to go) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo fui | I went |
| Tú fuiste | You went |
| Él / Ella / Usted fue | He / She / You went |
| Nosotros / Nosotras fuimos | We went |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes fueron | They / You all went |
This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.