Conjugate and recognise ir and ser in the preterite tense in Spanish (El Pretérito Indefinido)

Written by qualified Spanish expert Ana Matilla MA, BA

Last updated: 2024-04-30

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The verbs ser (to be) and ir (to go) have identical conjugations in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish.

Learn how to conjugate "ser" and "ir" in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish

yo	fui	I was/went
tú	fuiste	you were/went
él / ella / ud.	fue	he was/went
nosotros / nosotras	fuimos	we were/went
vosotros / vosotras	fuisteis	you were/went
ellos / ellas / uds.	fueron	they were/went

You can tell which verb is meant by the presence of the preposition a after the verb. Ser is never followed by a, but ir always is!

Read and listen to these examples:

Yo fui el primero de mi clase el año pasado.I was the first in my class last year.

Yo fui a casa de mi abuela la semana pasada.I went to my grandmother's house last week.

Tú fuiste campeón de natación hace dos años.You were a swimming champion two years ago.

Tú fuiste a Buenos Aires en enero.You went to Buenos Aires in January.

Él fue alpinista en su juventud.He was a climber in his youth.

Ella fue a la peluquería ayer.She went to the hairdresser yesterday.

Nosotras fuimos responsables de ese proyecto.We were responsible for that project.

Nosotras fuimos a la playa el pasado agosto.We went to the beach last August.

Vosotros fuisteis amigos durante la infancia.You were friends during childhood.

Vosotros fuisteis a San Sebastián en primavera.You went to San Sebastian in the spring.

Ellos fueron muy famosos el año pasado.They were very famous last year.

Ellas fueron al cine.They went to the cinema.

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