How to Say "they saw" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “they saw” is “vieron” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Ellos vieron la película anoche en el cine.
They saw the movie last night at the cinema.
¿Ustedes vieron quién dejó la puerta abierta?
Did you all (formal) see who left the door open?
Cuando vieron el resultado, se quedaron sin palabras.
When they saw (realized) the result, they were speechless.
Identifying the Subject
The form 'vieron' refers to a group of people: 'ellos' (they, masculine/mixed), 'ellas' (they, feminine), or 'ustedes' (you all, formal). You usually don't need the pronoun if the subject is clear.
Preterite Tense Function
'Vieron' is used for actions that started and finished completely in the past, like a single event or a specific time frame ('last night,' 'yesterday').
Preterite vs. Imperfect
Mistake: “Usando 'veían' para una acción única: 'Ellos veían la película anoche.'”
Correction: Use 'vieron' for a single completed event: 'Ellos vieron la película anoche.' 'Veían' (imperfect) describes habitual actions or background scenery.
Missing Accent Marks
Mistake: “Adding an accent mark: 'víeron'”
Correction: The preterite forms of 'ver' are unique because they do not carry accent marks, making 'vieron' correct as written.
Related Translations
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