Vir in Preterite

The Preterite tense is for finished actions. These actions happened and then they ended. When you use vir, you describe movement. Specifically, movement toward the speaker's location. Imagine you are standing in a cafe. Your friend walks through the door. Later, you tell someone about it. You say your friend 'came' to the cafe. In Portuguese, you use the Preterite of vir. It marks a completed arrival at a spot. It is different from 'going' somewhere. If you move away, you use ir. If you arrive here, you use vir. This distinction is vital for clear communication. Think of it like a magnet. Vir is the pull toward you. The Preterite makes that pull a fact. It is a solid, completed event in time.

1. 1The verb vir is very irregular. You cannot just add regular endings. You must learn the stems by heart. Follow these steps to build the forms:
2. 2For the first person, use vim. It is unique and short.
3. 3For the singular third person, use veio. This covers 'he', 'she', and 'you'.
4. 4For the plural 'we', use the stem vi-. Add the ending emos to get viemos.
5. 5For the plural third person, use vieram. This is for 'they' or 'you all'.
6. 6Notice the vowel changes from i to ei. This is the tricky part of vir.
7. 7Memorizing these four forms is your priority. They do not look like the infinitive vir. This is why learners often get confused. Think of them as a special family. They share the same past-tense DNA. Practice them until they feel natural.

Use this tense for specific arrivals. Maybe you vim to Brazil last year. That is a finished trip. Use it for social gatherings too. "They vieram to my party on Saturday." It works for physical objects as well. Did your Amazon package arrive? You can say the package veio today. It is also great for abstract ideas. Sometimes a thought 'comes' to your mind. In Portuguese, that thought veio à cabeça. Use it in professional settings. "I vim to the meeting to help." Use it when asking about origins. "Where did you come from?" (De onde você veio?). It is the go-to verb for origin. It covers everything from cities to families. It is your primary tool for past arrivals.

Do not use vir for repeated actions. If you 'used to come' every day, use Imperfeito. The Preterite is for a specific time. Also, do not use it for movement away. If you went to the park, use ir. Many learners mix these up. Remember the magnet analogy from before. Vir is only for movement toward the speaker. If you are at the park now, you veio. If you are at home, you foi (went) there. Avoid using it for future plans. That requires a different tense entirely. Also, watch out for 'becoming' something. In English, we say 'dreams come true'. In Portuguese, we use different verbs like realizar. Keep vir focused on arrival and origin. That is its true home.

The biggest mistake is the vim vs vi trap. Vim means 'I came'. Vi means 'I saw'. They sound very similar to new ears. Do not tell someone you 'saw' to their house. They will think you are a ghost. Another classic error is vimos vs viemos. Vimos actually means 'we saw'. Viemos means 'we came'. Even native speakers mess this up sometimes. It is a common grammar slip in Brazil. Another mistake is the spelling of veio. Some people write veio but mean velho (old). They sound different, but look similar. Watch your spelling in text messages. Finally, do not forget the 'r' in vieram. Without it, the word falls apart. It is a common typo for learners.

Let's compare vir with the verb ver. Ver means 'to see' in Portuguese. In the past, ver becomes vi, viu, vimos. Notice how vimos (we saw) lacks that extra e. The verb vir (to come) has viemos. That extra e is your best friend. It signals movement, not vision. Now look at vir versus ir. Ir (to go) becomes fui, foi, fomos. These are for moving away from here. Use fui for the cinema. Use vim for your current seat. Finally, look at voltar (to return). Voltar is a regular verb. It is easier to conjugate than vir. But vir is much more common. It is the basic building block of travel.