fuiste
“fuiste” means “you went” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
you went
📝 In Action
¿Fuiste al supermercado esta mañana?
A1Did you go to the supermarket this morning?
Fuiste muy rápido, no te vi salir.
A1You went very fast, I didn't see you leave.
¿A qué hora fuiste a la fiesta?
A2What time did you go to the party?
you were
📝 In Action
Fuiste muy amable con nosotros.
A1You were very kind to us.
¿Fuiste tú quien llamó?
A2Were you the one who called?
Fuiste el mejor estudiante de la clase.
A2You were the best student in the class.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: fuiste
Question 1 of 3
In the sentence 'Fuiste al doctor ayer', what does 'fuiste' mean?
📚 More Resources
📚 Etymology▼
Both 'ir' and 'ser' come from separate Latin verbs that merged forms in Spanish. 'Ir' traces back to Latin 'ire' (to go), while 'ser' comes from Latin 'esse' (to be). In the preterite tense, these two verbs share identical forms.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the same word 'fuiste' have two different meanings?
In Spanish, the verbs 'ir' (to go) and 'ser' (to be) happen to share the exact same forms in the past tense. So 'fuiste' can mean both 'you went' and 'you were' depending on the context. It's like two different verbs borrowing the same outfit for the past tense only.
How do I know if 'fuiste' means 'you went' or 'you were'?
Look at the rest of the sentence. If it talks about movement or traveling, it means 'you went' (from 'ir'). If it describes characteristics, identity, or states, it means 'you were' (from 'ser'). For example, 'Fuiste al cine' = You went to the movies. 'Fuiste feliz' = You were happy.
What's the difference between 'fuiste' and 'eras'?
'Fuiste' is for actions or states that started and finished in the past. 'Eras' (from 'ser') is for descriptions that continued over time. Compare: 'Fuiste el ganador' (You were the winner - one moment) vs 'Eras el mejor' (You were the best - over time).