Ver: Keeping the "E

Most Spanish verbs follow a strict diet. When they conjugate, they often shed their infinitive endings (-ar, -er, or -ir) and get straight to business. For example, comer (to eat) becomes como in the present. The er disappears. However, ver is different. It looks at the rules and says, "No thanks, I'll keep my e, please."

You see this most clearly in two places: the yo form of the present tense and the entire imperfect tense. Instead of becoming vo (which sounds like a car horn), it becomes veo. In the past, instead of vía, it becomes veía. It is like a grammar traffic light. The e is the green light that tells you the verb is still there. If you forget the e, the word starts to look like a typo or a completely different language.

1. 1Let’s break down the two main areas where the e stands its ground.
2. 2The Present Tense yo form:
3. 3Start with ver.
4. 4Keep the stem ve-.
5. 5Add the -o ending.
6. 6Result: veo.
7. 7(Wait, why not just vo? Because ver wants to be special!)
8. 8The Imperfect Tense (The Past):
9. 9Usually, you take off the -er and add -ía.
10. 10For ver, you only take off the -r.
11. 11Keep the ve-.
12. 12Add the endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.
13. 13Result: veía, veías, veía, etc.
14. 14The Present Subjunctive:
15. 15Follow the yo form logic.
16. 16Keep the ve-.
17. 17Add -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.
18. 18Result: vea, veas, vea...

You will use ver whenever you are a passive observer. If something enters your field of vision without much effort, ver is your verb.

• Movies and Shows: "I see a movie" is veo una película.
• Spotted in Public: "I see my teacher at the mall" is veo a mi profesor.
• Understanding: Just like in English, "I see" can mean "I understand."
• Meeting People: If you are "seeing" someone (dating or just meeting), you use ver.

Imagine you are at a job interview. The boss says, "I see you have great skills." That is veo que tienes grandes habilidades. Or you are ordering food and see a fly in your soup (gross, I know). You tell the waiter, veo una mosca. In both cases, the e stays right there in veo.

Do not confuse ver with mirar. This is the classic trap!

• Use ver for seeing (passive).
• Use mirar for looking at or watching (active/intentional).

If you are staring intensely at a painting, you are mirando. If you just happen to notice the painting is there, you are viendo. Also, don't use ver for things you hear. That’s oír. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes when they are tired, but you’ll be sharper than that!

The most common error is trying to make ver behave like a regular verb.

• The "Vo" Trap: People say yo vo. There is no such thing as vo in Spanish unless you’re trying to say "go" in a very confusing way. Always keep the e!
• The "Vía" Past: Learners often say yo vía for "I used to see." This sounds like the Spanish word for "track" or "route." The correct form is veía.
• Missing the 'A': When you see a person, you must use the "personal a." Veo a Juan, not veo Juan. This isn't strictly an e rule, but it's a ver rule you can't ignore!

Compare ver to leer (to read).

• leer becomes leía in the imperfect. It keeps the e because it has two!
• ver only has one e, but it fights to keep it just as hard.
• Regular -er verbs like comer become comía. Notice how the e from comer is totally gone? Ver refuses to follow that trend. It’s the hipster of the -er family. It liked the e before it was cool to drop it.