VIA: Lesson - Irregular Verbs (ser / ir a): Pretérito indefinido
Irregular Verbs (ser / ir a): Pretérito indefinido
We all know that mastering irregular verbs like ser (to be) and ir (to go) can be tricky. Very often, however, we can take advantage of those special rules and make the learning process a bit easier. In this lesson, we will explore one of them: the ser and ir preterit conjugation!
Conjugating ser and ir a in pretérito indefinido in Spanish
First of all, the good news: the verbs ser and ir share the same simple past conjugation!
By simple past, we are referring to what is known in Spanish as pretérito perfecto simple or just pretérito (preterit). That being said, let’s review the ser and ir preterit conjugation of these two verbs.
El verbo ser
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | fui | I was |
| tú | fuiste | You were (informal) |
| él/ella usted |
fue | He/She/It was You were (singular, formal) |
| nosotros/nosotras | fuimos | We were |
| vosotros/vosotras | fuisteis | You were (informal) |
| ellos/ellas ustedes |
fueron | They were You were (plural, formal) |
Here are a few examples of the preterit form of SER being used in sentences:
- Yo fui una niña muy deportista en mi niñez. - I was a very athletic girl in my childhood.
- ¿Tú fuiste un chico muy curioso de pequeño? - Were you a curious child?
- Mi tío fue muy tímido en su adolescencia. - My uncle was very shy when he was a teenager.
- Nosotros fuimos muy buenos estudiantes en el colegio secundario. - We were very good students in high school.
- Vosotros fuisteis muy aventureros en vuestra juventud. You all were very adventurous in your youth years.
- Mis primas gemelas fueron muy traviesas siempre. My identical twin cousins were very mischievous always.
El verbo ir a
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | fui a | I went |
| tú | fuiste a | You went (informal) |
| él/ella usted |
fue a | He/She/It went You went (singular, formal) |
| nosotros/nosotras | fuimos a | We went |
| vosotros/vosotras | fuisteis a | You went (informal) |
| ellos/ellas ustedes |
fueron a | They went You went (plural, formal) |
Did you see that? The ser and ir a preterit conjugation is the same! Now, let's see some examples in the context of a sentence:
- Yo fuí a la playa de Savannah el verano pasado. I went to Savannah beach last summer.
- ¿Fuiste a tomar fotos ayer por la tarde? Did you went to take pictures yesterday afternoon?
- Mi hermana fue a acampar a la montaña con sus amigas el fin de semana pasado. My sister went camping with her friends last weekend.
- Mi familia y yo fuimos a visitar el museo de arte el domingo pasado por la tarde. My family and I went to the art museum last Sunday afternoon.
- Mis amigos fueron a comprar los boletos de tren el sábado pasado por la mañana. My friends went to buy the train tickets last Saturday morning.
Video Lesson
Now, let´s end this conjugation lesson with a great video lesson on the verbs SER and IR conjugation in the preterit tense. You may want to have your verb conjugation document open and write the verb conjugation a couple of times! You will need tu cuaderno (your notebook) and tu lápiz or bolígrafo (your pencil or your pen) Necesitas tomar apuntes (take notes) and complete practice activities. Remember, email your teacher if you have any questions after you complete a lesson. Your instructor is always available to help you and clarify any additional questions you may have before you move forward with your studies.
Video credit: Maestro Kaplan
Practice Activities
Was the video helpful?
Can you think of two places you went to last weekend or two things you did in your last vacation and say it in Spanish? For example: Yo fui a la playa el Verano pasado. Yo fui al museo la semana pasada con mi clase de historia. Do you understand how to conjugate the verbs IR and SER in the preterit tense in Spanish?
If your answer was sí to all questions, then you are ready to complete the following practice activities.
Take time to practice. All practice activities have unlimited attempts. Practice as many times as you need. When you complete practice activities, you are reviewing the lessons and preparing yourself to move forward in the course!
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