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veía

beh-EE-ah/βeˈi.a/

“veía” means “I was seeing” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

I was seeing, He/She/It was seeing, I used to see

Also: looked (like)
VerbA1irregular er
A young child sitting by a large window, intently watching a long, colorful train slowly passing by outside. The scene illustrates the continuous nature of the action.
infinitivever
gerundviendo
past Participlevisto

📝 In Action

Cuando era niño, veía muchos dibujos animados.

A1

When I was a child, I used to watch many cartoons.

Ella veía el atardecer desde la ventana cada tarde.

A2

She was watching the sunset from the window every afternoon.

El hombre que yo veía en la esquina siempre tenía un perro.

B1

The man whom I used to see on the corner always had a dog.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • miraba (I was looking)
  • observaba (I was observing)

Common Collocations

  • Veía la televisión – I/He/She was watching television
  • Veía sombras – I/He/She was seeing shadows

I perceived, He/She/It understood, I viewed (as)

Also: I realized
VerbB1irregular er
A thoughtful person with a calm expression gazing at a simple arrangement of perfectly fitted wooden geometric blocks, symbolizing a moment of understanding or perception.
infinitivever
gerundviendo
past Participlevisto

📝 In Action

Ella veía el problema de una manera muy diferente a mí.

B1

She viewed the problem in a very different way than I did.

Yo veía que algo no iba bien en la reunión.

B2

I perceived (or understood) that something wasn't going well in the meeting.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • entendía (I understood)
  • parecía (it seemed)

Common Collocations

  • Veía la vida de otra forma – I/He/She viewed life differently

Idioms & Expressions

  • No veía la hora de... – I couldn't wait to...

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedve
yoveo
túves
ellos/ellas/ustedesven
nosotrosvemos
vosotrosveis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedveía
yoveía
túveías
ellos/ellas/ustedesveían
nosotrosveíamos
vosotrosveíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedvio
yovi
túviste
ellos/ellas/ustedesvieron
nosotrosvimos
vosotrosvisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedvea
yovea
túveas
ellos/ellas/ustedesvean
nosotrosveamos
vosotrosveáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedviera/viese
yoviera/viese
túvieras/vieses
ellos/ellas/ustedesvieran/viesen
nosotrosviéramos/viésemos
vosotrosvierais/vieseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "veía" in Spanish:

i perceived→i realized→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: veía

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'veía' to describe a repeated action in the past?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
leíacreía
📚 Etymology▼

'Veía' comes from the verb 'ver,' which traces back directly to the Latin verb *vidēre*, meaning 'to see.' Spanish kept the root very close to the original Latin word.

First recorded: Old Spanish (around the 13th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: viaItalian: vedeva

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'veía' have an accent mark?

The accent mark on the 'i' (ve-í-a) is necessary to break the vowel sound into two separate syllables. If it didn't have an accent, it would try to sound like one syllable, which is incorrect for this verb form.

Is 'veía' the 'yo' form or the 'él/ella/usted' form?

'Veía' is both! In the Imperfect tense, the 'yo' (I) form and the 'él/ella/usted' (he/she/you formal) form are identical. You must rely on the context or the pronoun to know who is doing the action.