Inklingo
📖4 definitions
📚 viste has 4 definitions
A person outside at night, pointing up and looking excitedly at a bright, fading streak of a shooting star in the dark sky.

viste

BEES-teh

VerbA2irregular er
you saw?Informal 'you', talking about a completed past action.
Also:did you see?When used in a question.

Quick Reference

infinitivever
gerundviendo
past Participlevisto

📝 In Action

¿Viste la película anoche?

A2

Did you see the movie last night?

Viste a tu amigo en el parque, ¿verdad?

A2

You saw your friend at the park, right?

¡No me vas a creer lo que viste!

B1

You're not going to believe what you saw!

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • miraste (you watched/looked at)

Common Collocations

  • viste esoyou saw that
  • lo que vistewhat you saw

💡 Grammar Points

A Past Tense for 'You'

This is the 'tú' (informal you) form of the verb 'ver' (to see) in the preterite tense. Use it to talk about something you saw that is finished and done.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing with 'veías'

Mistake: "Usar 'viste' para describir algo que veías repetidamente. (Using 'viste' to describe something you used to see repeatedly.)"

Correction: Usa 'veías' para acciones repetidas en el pasado, como 'Cuando era niño, veías caricaturas'. Usa 'viste' para una acción única, como 'Ayer viste una película.'

⭐ Usage Tips

Quick Action

Think of 'viste' as capturing a snapshot in the past. It happened, it's over. '¿Viste el relámpago?' (Did you see the lightning?).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

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

imperfect

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

preterite

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

subjunctive

present

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

imperfect

él/ella/ustedviera
yoviera
vieras
ellos/ellas/ustedesvieran
nosotrosviéramos
vosotrosvierais

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: viste

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'viste' to mean 'you know?' as a conversational tag?

📚 More Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if 'viste' means 'you saw' or 'he/she dressed'?

Context is everything! Look at the other words in the sentence. If it's about clothes, fashion, or getting ready ('se viste', 'viste de negro'), it probably means 'dress'. If it's about movies, people, or events ('viste la película', 'viste a Juan'), it probably means 'saw'.

Why do people from Argentina say 'viste' so much?

It's a cultural and linguistic habit called a 'muletilla' or 'discourse marker'. It functions like 'you know', 'like', or 'see?' in English. It doesn't add much meaning, but it makes conversation feel more friendly and connected. It's a signature part of their dialect.