Learn Spanish (Latin America): Fui a explorar y escribí en el diario. - I went to explore and I wrote in the diary.

Fui is the exact same word for the past tense of both ir (to go) and ser (to be). You can tell it means 'I went' here because it is followed by an action (a explorar). When talking about moving or going somewhere to do something, it is always the verb ir.

Why is there an a before explorar?

In Spanish, when you use the verb ir (to go) to talk about going to do an action, you must connect it to the second verb with the preposition a. Because of this rule, 'I went to explore' must be translated as fui a explorar.

Why is the ending of escribí accented?

Escribí is the past tense for 'I wrote'. For regular -ir verbs like escribir, the 'yo' (I) ending in the past tense is always -í with an accent mark. This accent is important for pronunciation, telling you to put the stress on that final sound.

Can diario mean anything besides 'diary'?

Yes! While diario means 'diary' or 'journal' in this sentence, it is also the standard word for 'newspaper'. It can even be used as an adjective meaning 'daily', as in la vida diaria (daily life).