veía/veías/veía/veíamos/veían
Imperfect of Ver
This is how you say 'used to see' or 'was seeing' in Spanish. It's the past tense for describing scenes or repeated actions.
How It Works
The verb ver (to see, to watch) is one of the three irregular verbs in the Spanish imperfect tense, along with ser and ir. Its irregularity is subtle: it retains the 'e' from its stem (ve-) before adding the standard -er/-ir imperfect endings. For regular -er/-ir verbs, the entire infinitive ending is dropped (e.g., comer → com-), but 'ver' keeps the 'e', resulting in 've-ía' instead of a hypothetical regular form 'v-ía'.
Conjugation:
- yo veía (I was seeing / used to see)
- tú veías (you were seeing / used to see)
- él/ella/usted veía (he/she/you was/were seeing / used to see)
- nosotros/as veíamos (we were seeing / used to see)
- vosotros/as veíais (you all were seeing / used to see)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes veían (they/you all were seeing / used to see)
You use these forms for several key situations in the past:
1. Habitual Actions: To talk about something you used to see or watch regularly.
e.g., De niño, veía dibujos animados los sábados. (As a child, I used to watch cartoons on Saturdays.)
2. Descriptions and Setting the Scene: To describe what was visible or what a scene looked like in the past.
e.g., Desde la ventana, se veía el mar. (From the window, you could see the sea.)
3. Ongoing Actions: To describe an action of seeing/watching that was in progress when something else happened.
e.g., Veía una película cuando me llamaste. (I was watching a movie when you called me.)
Examples (6)
- Cuando era pequeño, veía a mis abuelos todos los domingos.
When I was little, I used to see my grandparents every Sunday.
Word by Word: When I was little, I used to see my grandparents all the Sundays.
This shows a habitual action in the past. 'veía' means 'used to see'.
- ¿Qué veías en la televisión cuando llegué?
What were you watching on television when I arrived?
Word by Word: What were you seeing on the television when I arrived?
'veías' describes an ongoing action ('were you watching') that was interrupted by another action ('llegué' - I arrived).
- Ella no veía bien sin sus gafas.
She couldn't see well without her glasses.
Word by Word: She was not seeing well without her glasses.
This describes a continuous state or condition in the past.
- Desde la colina, veíamos toda la ciudad iluminada.
From the hill, we could see the whole illuminated city.
Word by Word: From the hill, we were seeing all the city illuminated.
This is a description of a past scene. 'veíamos' sets the background of what was visible.
- En España, ¿qué programas veíais de pequeños?
In Spain, what shows did you all use to watch when you were little?
Word by Word: In Spain, what programs were you all seeing as little ones?
The 'vosotros' form 'veíais' is used here to ask about a habitual past action in Peninsular Spanish.
- Los niños veían pasar los trenes desde el puente.
The children used to watch the trains go by from the bridge.
Word by Word: The children were seeing pass the trains from the bridge.
This describes a habitual or repeated action in the past ('used to watch').
Common Mistakes
Using -aba endings for the imperfect of 'ver'.
Cuando era pequeño, yo veaba dibujos animados.Cuando era pequeño, yo veía dibujos animados.In standard Spanish, 'ver' keeps the stem 've-' and takes the -ía imperfect endings: 'veía', not 'veaba'. The example describes a repeated childhood activity.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the irregular imperfect forms of 'ver' (veía, veías, etc.), learners must first be familiar with the standard imperfect endings for -ER and -IR verbs. They also need a solid grasp of subject pronouns to correctly identify which conjugation to use in context.
Related Patterns
- vi/viste/vio/vimos/vieronPreterite of Ver
This is the preterite form of 'ver'. It's crucial to understand the difference: 'veía' is for ongoing or habitual past actions ('was seeing', 'used to see'), while 'vi' is for a single, completed action ('I saw').
Level 2 - era/eras/era/éramos/eranImperfect of Ser
'Ser' is another of the three irregular verbs in the imperfect tense. Learning them together helps you remember the exceptions to the regular imperfect endings.
Level 2 - iba/ibas/iba/íbamos/ibanImperfect of Ir
'Ir' is the third irregular verb in the imperfect. Like 'ver' and 'ser', its conjugation must be memorized separately from the regular patterns.
Level 2 - Imperfect for Background
One of the main uses of 'veía' is to describe what a scene looked like in the past. This pattern explains the general rule for using the imperfect tense for descriptions and setting the scene.
Level 2 - Imperfect for Habits
Another key use of 'veía' is to talk about things you 'used to see'. This pattern covers the broader concept of using the imperfect for any habitual past action.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice veía/veías/veía/veíamos/veían in Bubblegum
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