See you later, alligator
What does it take to know what verb we’re going to talk about today? It’s as simple as waking up and opening your eyes, and that’s it! We can already see the verb: Ver. But do you think you are able to recognize at a glance the forms in which the Spanish verb “ver” is conjugated? Don’t worry if the answer is no, you’ve come to the right place to learn!
In its most common usage, Ver is what we do when we perceive something with our sight. However, you can also find it as a synonym for “examine” or “understand”, and even being used as an intransitive verb (but don’t worry, we won’t see that today!). This verb is generally used in the same way as the verb “to see”, although it can also be translated as “to watch” or “to look”. And now, without further ado, let’s go, let’s get to know the conjugations of the Spanish verb “to see”.
Difference Between Ver and Mirar
Knowing the difference between “ver” and “mirar” in Spanish can be very useful for those who are learning the language. Ver is a verb that means to see, watch, or look at something, while mirar is a verb that means to observe or take a special notice of what one is looking at.
First name: Ver, last name: irregular
Have you ever come across verbs that change form? In Spanish, they are very common, although there are some that go unnoticed. Unnoticed or not, they belong to the same family of verbs: irregular verbs. The verb Ver changes according to tenses, persons and situations; therefore, it belongs to this peculiar family. In addition to its irregular conjugation, the verb Ver also belongs to another family, that of pronominal verbs. Before you tell me “Wait, what?!” pronominal means that it can be conjugated reflexively as verme, verte, verse or vernos. If you want to read more about this type of verb, don’t hesitate to write to us to clarify your doubts!
Ver-bals
Before going into conjugations, let’s talk about non-conjugations. We will not always see the verb Ver behave as such, sometimes we will see it as a Verbal, that is to say words that change their function and become nouns, adverbs or adjectives. Don’t be scared, it’s not that difficult, it’s more like a simple memory game, just take a look at the following table!
| Verbal | Common use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | Ver (to see /seeing) | Non conjugated / Noun | Yo pude ver la inmensidad del mar. | I could see the immensity of the sea. |
| Gerund | Viendo (seeing) | Adverb/verbal periphrasis | He estado viendo como bailas. | I've been watching how you dance. |
| Participle | Visto (seen) | Adjective | Él fue visto usando camisa verde. | He was seen wearing a green shirt. |
Ver Conjugation: Indicative Mood
The indicative mode is the most frequently used, it is the direct and real description. In general, this mode in its simple version (without auxiliaries) will be the one with which you start learning all the verbs.
Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Conditional | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (see) | (saw) | (saw) | (would see) | (will see) | |
| yo | veo | vi | veía | vería | veré |
| tú | ves | viste | veías | verías | verás |
| él/ella/ usted | ve | vio | veía | vería | verá |
| nosotros | vemos | vimos | veíamos | veríamos | veremos |
| ellos/ellas/ ustedes | ven | vieron | veían | verían | verán |
Examples:
Si veo un carro azul, lo compro inmediatamente. – If I see a blue car, I buy it immediately.
Préstale el dinero, ya verá si le alcanza. Lend him the money, he’ll see if it’s enough.
Compound Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Preterite Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Conditional Perfect | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (have/has seen) | (had seen) | (would have seen) | (will have seen) | |
| yo | he visto | había visto | habría visto | habré visto |
| tú | has visto | habías visto | habrías visto | habrás visto |
| él/ella | havisto | había visto | habría visto | habrá visto |
| nosotros | Hemos visto | habíamos visto | habríamos visto | habremos visto |
| ellos/ellas ustedes | Han visto | habían visto | habrían visto | habrán visto |
Examples:
Yo he visto muchas fotografías de ropa. – I have seen many photographs of clothes
Como ustedes habrán visto, hay grandes edificios. – As you may have seen, there are large buildings
Ver Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood
Here we find ourselves with a mood that is in many ways more abstract, because we will begin to express desires, wishes and hypotheses. Although in everyday conversations it is not very usual, there may be times when the conversation goes up a level or there is a more specific topic to deal with, and you may need to know how to use these conjugations.
Simple Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present | Imperfect | Imperfect 2 | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | vea | viera | viese | viere |
| tú | veas | vieras | vieses | vieres |
| él/ella/usted | vea | viera | viese | viere |
| nosotros | veamos | viéramos | viésemos | viéremos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | vean | vieran | viesen | vieren |
Examples:
Es más probable que yo vea, porque soy de mayor estatura que ella. – I’m more likely to see, because I’m taller than her.
Si nos más temprano, te hubiese dado de mi rico desayuno. – If we saw each other earlier, I would have given you some of my delicious breakfast.
Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Past Perfect 2 (Pluperfect 2) | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | haya visto | hubiera visto | hubiese visto | hubiere visto |
| tú | hayas visto | hubieras visto | hubieses visto | hubieres visto |
| él/ella/usted | haya visto | hubiera visto | hubiese visto | hubiere visto |
| nosotros | hayamos visto | hubiéramos visto | hubiésemos visto | hubiéremos visto |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan visto | hubieran visto | hubiesen visto | hubieren visto |
Ver Conjugation: Imperative Mood
If you want to know the imperative, it’s much easier. There are not so many verb tenses and not so many subjects to learn. Giving orders with the verb ver is as simple as saying: To command!
Imperative Mood’s Conjugations
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| (see / let’s see) | (don’t see / let’s not see) | |
| tú | ve | no veas |
| nosotros | veamos | no veamos |
| ustedes | vean | no vean |
Examples:
Levántense temprano y vean el amanecer. – Get up early and watch the sunrise
No veas el final del libro sin leerlo. – Don’t see the end of the book without reading it
Let’s get to practice!
Let’s go with a couple of exercises so you can have fresh memory and know what to answer with the theory just explained, remember that it is like a simple memory game.
1. Peter y Hanna ____televisión hasta muy tarde. – Peter and Hanna watched television late into the night
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2. De todas las zapaterías que ____ del centro commercial ¿Cuál te gustó más? – Of all the shoe stores you saw in the mall, which one did you like the most?
3. Quiero que ____ las computadoras más antiguas y hagan comparaciones con las actuales. – I want you to look at older computers and make comparisons with today’s computers.
4. El optometrista ____tus ojos y supo que tipo de lentes te convenían. – The optometrist saw your eyes and knew what type of lenses were right for you.
5. Si en el camino hubieran levantado la cabeza, hubieran ____ los letreros de advertencias de la vía. – If they had looked up on the road, they would have seen the warning signs on the road.
6. Dentro de una década deseo ser ____ como un profesional de la medicina. – A decade from now I want to be seen as a medical professional.
The answers
There is a saying in Spanish that goes “Ver para creer” (Seeing is believing), but here we say: Practice to see. Here you have some answers!
1. vieron
2. viste
3. vean
4. vio
5. visto
6. visto
About the Author:
Specializations: Spanish Tutors on Zoom
Bio: 28-year-old graphic designer and writer with 7 years of experience, passionate about communication in all its aspects as the main tool to forge links. I consider myself a detailed, patient, and empathetic person, so even if you consider yourself a difficult student, I will know how to guide you to reach the level of Spanish you need for whatever activity you have in mind. As a student of Literature, I always had the same love for books and their stories, as well as for the Spanish language and its formation. I believe that the best way to learn is to be passionate about what you are learning and that is what I always want to achieve with my students. I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults, so I have knowledge about the different learning stages that a person can go through and the different strategies to approach them.
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