Vimos el choque.

Vimos is the preterite (also called the simple past) of ver (to see) for nosotros/nosotras.

So grammatically, it means we saw.

This tense is used for a completed action in the past. In this sentence, it presents the seeing as a finished event.

Because vemos is present tense (we see / we are seeing), while vimos is past tense (we saw).

• vemos = we see
• vimos = we saw

That single vowel change from e to i is very important.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

Here, vimos already tells you the subject is we.

So:

• Vimos el choque = We saw the crash
• Nosotros vimos el choque = also possible, but usually only used for emphasis or contrast

For example, Nosotros vimos el choque, pero ellos no = We saw the crash, but they didn’t.

It comes from ver, meaning to see.

The preterite forms are:

• vi = I saw
• viste = you saw
• vio = he/she/it saw
• vimos = we saw
• visteis = you all saw (Spain)
• vieron = they/you all saw

So vimos is specifically the we form of ver in the preterite.

Spanish uses the definite article el (the) more often than English uses the.

Here, el choque refers to the crash / the collision, meaning a specific event that was seen.

Saying just Vimos choque would sound incomplete or unnatural in normal Spanish.

Choque usually means collision, crash, or impact.

Depending on context, it could refer to:

• a car crash
• a collision between things
• sometimes even a figurative clash

In this sentence, it most naturally refers to some kind of crash or collision.

Because ver and mirar are related but not the same.

• ver = to see
  (perceiving with your eyes)
• mirar = to look at / to watch
  (directing your attention intentionally)

So Vimos el choque means we saw the crash.

If you said Miramos el choque, it would sound more like we looked at / watched the crash, which is a different nuance.

In this sentence, yes. The preterite usually presents the action as completed.

So Vimos el choque means the event of seeing happened and is viewed as a whole.

If you wanted a more ongoing or background idea, Spanish might use the imperfect instead:

• Veíamos el choque = We were seeing / we were watching the crash
  (less natural in many contexts, but grammatically shows an ongoing/background sense)

For a simple completed event, vimos is the normal choice.

A simple guide is:

BEE-mos el CHO-ke

More approximately in IPA (standard Spain): /ˈbi.mos el ˈtʃo.ke/

A few notes:

• vi- sounds like bee
• ch is like English ch in chair
• que sounds like keh
• Spanish v and b are pronounced very similarly

It comes from ver, which is an important verb to learn, but the preterite forms are fairly straightforward:

• vi
• viste
• vio
• vimos
• visteis
• vieron

One thing learners often notice is that these forms do not take written accents.

So yes, ver has some special behavior as a verb overall, but vimos itself is a standard past-tense form you should memorize as part of the preterite of ver.

Yes, but Vimos el choque is the most neutral, standard order.

Spanish commonly uses:

• verb + object
  Vimos el choque

Other orders are possible for emphasis, but they change the focus:

• El choque lo vimos = The crash, we saw it
• Nosotros vimos el choque = emphasizes we

So the original sentence is the most natural default way to say it.

Yes. The noun choque is masculine, so it takes el in the singular:

• el choque = the crash
• los choques = the crashes

This is something you usually just learn together with the noun: el choque, not just choque.

Yes, it is perfectly normal Spanish.

That said, depending on the situation, people might also say:

• Vimos el accidente = We saw the accident
• Vimos un choque = We saw a crash
• Hemos visto el choque = We have seen the crash

But Vimos el choque is a completely natural sentence in Spanish from Spain.