Ver: Full Conjugation

Ver means "to see" and also "to watch" (as in watching TV or a movie). It's one of the shortest verbs in Spanish, only two letters in its stem, and is essential for visual perception, opinion (a ver — "let's see"), and meeting people (nos vemos — "see you").

Ver is mildly but interestingly irregular. The present keeps an old Latin e that has disappeared from most forms of other verbs, giving veo (not vo). It's one of only three verbs with an irregular imperfect (veía, not vía) — the others are ser and ir. The past participle visto is also irregular.

Present Indicative

Preterite

Note that the monosyllabic preterite forms vi and vio don't take a written accent. This is a modern spelling rule for all one-syllable preterite forms.

Imperfect

Ver keeps its old Latin e in the imperfect, giving veía instead of the expected vía.

Future

Conditional

Present Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Imperative

Note: the tú affirmative ve is identical to that of ir. Context tells you which one is meant.

Non-Finite Forms

• Infinitive: ver
• Gerund: viendo
• Past participle: visto (irregular)

Compound Tenses

The compound tenses use haber plus the irregular past participle visto.

Present Perfect

Pluperfect

Future Perfect

Conditional Perfect

Present Perfect Subjunctive

Pluperfect Subjunctive

Progressive Forms

Progressive forms use estar with the gerund viendo.

Present Progressive

Past Progressive

Future Progressive

Common Collocations and Expressions

• a ver — let's see, let me see
• vamos a ver — let's see, we'll see
• ya veremos — we'll see (later)
• tener que ver con — to have to do with
• por lo visto — apparently, from what one can see
• nos vemos — see you (later)
• hasta más ver — see you later (older)
• ¡habrase visto! — would you believe it!
• a mi modo de ver — in my view
• ver de cerca / de lejos — to see up close / from afar
• no poder ver a alguien — to not be able to stand someone
• ver visiones — to see things (hallucinations)
• verse obligado a — to find oneself obliged to
• dejarse ver — to show oneself, to be seen

Common Errors (for English speakers)

• ❌ Yo vo a María. / ✅ Yo veo a María. — The yo form is veo, not vo.
• ❌ Vi mi hermana ayer. / ✅ Vi a mi hermana ayer. — Don't forget the personal a before specific people.
• ❌ He vido la película. / ✅ He visto la película. — The past participle is the irregular visto.
• ❌ Vió a Juan. / ✅ Vio a Juan. — The third-person preterite vio doesn't take an accent.
• ❌ Vía la televisión todos los días. / ✅ Veía la televisión todos los días. — The imperfect is irregular: veía, with the e preserved.
• ❌ Miro la tele. (when "watch" is meant in LATAM) / ⚠️ Veo la tele. — In Latin American Spanish, ver is more natural than mirar for watching TV.

Related Verbs

• mirar — "to look at," more deliberate than ver.
• observar — "to observe," to look closely or scientifically.
• notar — "to notice."
• percibir — "to perceive."
• darse cuenta de — "to realize, to notice."
• fijarse en — "to pay attention to, to notice."
• ser and ir — the other verbs with irregular imperfects.

Cross-references

• Irregular imperfect (ser, ir, ver)
• Irregular past participles
• Personal a
• Ver vs. mirar
• Ser: full conjugation