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fuese

FWAY-say/ˈfwese/

“fuese” means “were (hypothetical)” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

were (hypothetical), was (hypothetical)

Also: should be
VerbB2highly irregular ir/er (shared conjugation)
A small child sitting quietly, looking upward. Above their head, a simple, colorful thought bubble contains an image of the child dressed as a flying superhero, representing a hypothetical state of being.
infinitiveser
gerundsiendo
past Participlesido

📝 In Action

Si mi trabajo fuese más fácil, estaría feliz.

B2

If my job were easier, I would be happy.

Esperaba que la solución fuese permanente.

B2

I hoped the solution would be permanent.

Actuó como si no fuese importante.

C1

He acted as if it weren't important.

went (hypothetical), should go

Also: would go
VerbB2highly irregular ir/er (shared conjugation)
A cartoon fox stands still at the very beginning of a long, winding path that disappears into the distance toward a brightly lit, small house, symbolizing potential movement.
infinitiveir
gerundyendo
past Participleido

📝 In Action

Mi madre insistió en que fuese a la universidad.

B2

My mother insisted that I go/went to the university.

Le pedí que fuese más despacio por la carretera.

B2

I asked him to go slower on the road.

Si ella no fuese, el plan fracasaría.

C1

If she didn't go, the plan would fail.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • fuera (were/went (alternative imperfect subjunctive))
  • viajase (traveled (imperfect subjunctive of viajar))

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedes
yosoy
túeres
ellos/ellas/ustedesson
nosotrossomos
vosotrossois

imperfect

él/ella/ustedera
yoera
túeras
ellos/ellas/ustedeseran
nosotroséramos
vosotroserais

preterite

él/ella/ustedfue
yofui
túfuiste
ellos/ellas/ustedesfueron
nosotrosfuimos
vosotrosfuisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedsea
yosea
túseas
ellos/ellas/ustedessean
nosotrosseamos
vosotrosseáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedfuese/fuera
yofuese/fuera
túfueses/fueras
ellos/ellas/ustedesfuesen/fueran
nosotrosfuésemos/fuéramos
vosotrosfueseis/fuerais
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "fuese" in Spanish:

should be→should go→would go→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: fuese

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'fuese' to mean 'to go'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
ser(to be) — Verb
ir(to go) — Verb
siendo(being (gerund of ser)) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
vieseleyese
📚 Etymology▼

'Fuese' is derived from the Latin verb *fui*, the past tense root of *sum* (to be). Through a historical twist of phonetics, the forms for 'ser' (to be) and 'ir' (to go) completely merged in the past tenses of Spanish, which is why they share 'fuese'.

First recorded: Around the 13th century in Old Spanish, stabilizing the 'fui' root for the preterite and subjunctive.

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: fosseGalician: fose

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'fuera' instead of 'fuese'?

Yes, absolutely! 'Fuera' (the 'ra' form of the imperfect subjunctive) is interchangeable with 'fuese' (the 'se' form) in nearly all contexts. 'Fuese' is sometimes perceived as slightly more formal, but both are correct.

Why does 'fuese' mean 'to be' AND 'to go'?

This is a historical anomaly! Hundreds of years ago, the past tense forms of the Latin verbs for 'to be' (*sum*) and 'to go' (*ire*) merged in Spanish. As a result, the preterite tense ('fui, fuiste, fue...') and the imperfect subjunctive ('fuese/fuera...') are identical for both 'ser' and 'ir'.