Ir and Ser in Preterite Tense

Jun 5, 2025

Overview

This lecture introduces the preterite forms of the irregular Spanish verbs "ir" (to go) and "ser" (to be), emphasizing their shared conjugation and strategies for understanding them in context.

Irregular Preterite Forms: Ir and Ser

  • "Ir" means "to go"; "ser" means "to be."
  • In the preterite tense, both "ir" and "ser" have identical conjugations: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fueron.
  • The present tense for "ir": voy, vas, va, vamos, van.
  • The present tense for "ser": soy, eres, es, somos, son.
  • "Fui" can mean "I went" or "I was" depending on context.
  • Use context or extra words (such as "a" for destinations) to distinguish between "went" and "was."
  • Example: "Yo fui a la piscina" = I went to the pool; "La escuela fue aburrida" = School was boring.

Practice: Changing Present to Preterite

  • El baile es un desastre → El baile fue un desastre. (The dance was a disaster.)
  • Nosotros vamos al restaurante → Nosotros fuimos al restaurante. (We went to the restaurant.)
  • Ellos van al campo → Ellos fueron al campo. (They went to the countryside.)
  • Las pizzas son muy asquerosas → Las pizzas fueron muy asquerosas. (The pizzas were disgusting.)
  • Elena es doctora → Elena fue doctora. (Elena was a doctor.)
  • Pablo va al hospital → Pablo fue al hospital. (Pablo went to the hospital.)
  • Yo soy profesor → Yo fui profesor. (I was a teacher.)

Practice: English to Spanish Translations

  • I went to the store → Yo fui a la tienda.
  • Did you go to the gym? → ÂżFuiste al gimnasio?
  • The movie was a comedy. → La pelĂ­cula fue una comedia.
  • Paco was a Spanish teacher. → Paco fue profesor de español.
  • We went home. → Nosotros fuimos a casa.
  • The girls went to the party. → Las chicas fueron a la fiesta.
  • It was difficult to dance. → Fue difĂ­cil bailar.

Key Terms & Definitions

  • Preterite — a past tense used to express completed actions in Spanish.
  • Ir — to go (verb).
  • Ser — to be (verb).
  • Fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fueron — preterite forms for both "ir" and "ser".

Action Items / Next Steps

  • Practice converting present tense sentences to preterite using "ir" and "ser."
  • Translate English sentences to Spanish using the correct preterite forms.
  • Review the word bank and verb charts as needed.

Full transcript