ir Preterite Conjugation
ir — to go
The preterite of ir is identical to the verb ser: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron.
ir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for trips or movements that were completed in the past. It marks a specific journey that has ended.
Notes on ir in the Preterite
Ir and ser share the exact same forms in the preterite. Context is the only way to tell if someone 'went' or 'was'.
Example Sentences
Fui a España el verano pasado.
I went to Spain last summer.
yo
Fuimos al cine ayer.
We went to the cinema yesterday.
nosotros
Fue a la farmacia por medicina.
He/She went to the pharmacy for medicine.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'i' or 'iste' instead of 'fui' or 'fuiste'.
Correct: Use the forms starting with 'fu-'.
Why: Learners often try to conjugate 'ir' as a regular -ir verb, but it adopts the forms of 'ser' in this tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: voy
The present tense of ir is highly irregular: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van.
Imperfect
yo: iba
Ir is one of only three irregular verbs in the imperfect: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban.
Future
yo: iré
The future tense of ir is regular: iré, irás, irá, iremos, iréis, irán.
Conditional
yo: iría
The conditional of ir is regular: iría, irías, iría, iríamos, iríais, irían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: vaya
The present subjunctive of ir uses the stem 'vay-': vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: fuera
The imperfect subjunctive of ir uses the 'fu-' stem: fuera, fueras, fuera, fuéramos, fuerais, fueran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ve
The affirmative imperative is mostly irregular: ve (tú), vaya (usted), vamos (nosotros), id (vosotros), vayan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no vayas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no vayas, no vaya, no vayamos, no vayáis, no vayan.