The preterite of prever is used to express a specific instance of foreseeing something in the past, for example Preví los problemas antes de que ocurrieran (I foresaw the problems before they occurred). This tense emphasizes the completed action of foreseeing at a particular moment.

This is an irregular verb that follows the same pattern as ‘ver’ in the preterite. It maintains its irregular conjugation pattern throughout all forms.

Conjugations

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

The preterite of prever describes a completed action of foreseeing or anticipating in the past.

To foresee: Refers to anticipating future events, for example Preví los problemas desde el principio (I foresaw the problems from the beginning) or No previó las consecuencias (He/she didn’t foresee the consequences).

To anticipate: Used for planning ahead, for example Previeron la necesidad de más recursos (They anticipated the need for more resources).

Examples

Examples of Prever in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Preví los problemas del proyecto. (I foresaw the project’s problems.)

Previste el resultado del partido. (You foresaw the match result.)

El meteorólogo previó la tormenta. (The meteorologist foresaw the storm.)

Previmos la crisis económica. (We foresaw the economic crisis.)

Los expertos previeron el cambio climático. (The experts foresaw climate change.)

Preví las consecuencias de la decisión. (I foresaw the consequences of the decision.)

Previste la reacción de tus padres. (You foresaw your parents’ reaction.)

La empresa previó el aumento de la demanda. (The company foresaw the increase in demand.)

Previmos los cambios en el mercado. (We foresaw the market changes.)

Los analistas previeron la tendencia. (The analysts foresaw the trend.)

Preví el final de la historia. (I foresaw the end of the story.)

Previste los obstáculos del camino. (You foresaw the obstacles ahead.)

El director previó el éxito de la película. (The director foresaw the movie’s success.)

Previmos la necesidad de más recursos. (We foresaw the need for more resources.)

Los científicos previeron el descubrimiento. (The scientists foresaw the discovery.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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.