The preterite of ver is used to express when you saw something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I saw that movie last night” – “Vi esa película anoche.”
This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. While its conjugations are relatively simple, they don’t follow regular patterns, making it important to memorize its unique forms.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Ver (to see) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | vi |
| Tú | viste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | vio |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | vimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | visteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | vieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Ver (to see) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Ver in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of ver indicates completed actions of seeing or watching.
To see: Used for visual perception, for example Vi la película anoche (I saw the movie last night), or Vieron el accidente (They saw the accident).
To meet/visit: Describes encounters, for example Vi a mi amigo en el café (I saw my friend at the café).
Examples
Examples of Ver in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Vi una película increíble anoche. (I saw an amazing movie last night.)
¿Viste las noticias esta mañana? (Did you see the news this morning?)
Vimos el eclipse solar completo. (We saw the complete solar eclipse.)
¿Qué viste en el museo? (What did you see at the museum?)
Vieron un ovni en el cielo. (They saw a UFO in the sky.)
Vi tu coche en el estacionamiento. (I saw your car in the parking lot.)
No vio el accidente hasta que fue tarde. (He didn’t see the accident until it was too late.)
Vimos ballenas durante el crucero. (We saw whales during the cruise.)
Vieron la obra de teatro el sábado. (They saw the play on Saturday.)
¿Viste dónde dejé mis llaves? (Did you see where I left my keys?)
Vi todo lo que pasó esa noche. (I saw everything that happened that night.)
Nunca vimos algo igual. (We never saw anything like it.)
Vio a su mejor amigo después de años. (He saw his best friend after years.)
Vieron la aurora boreal. (They saw the Northern Lights.)
Vi tu mensaje muy tarde. (I saw your message very late.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Ver (to see) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo vi | I saw |
| Tú viste | You saw |
| Él / Ella / Usted vio | He / She / You (formal) saw |
| Nosotros / Nosotras vimos | We saw |
| Vosotros / Vosotras visteis | You all saw |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes vieron | They / You all (formal) saw |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.