Today’s Spanish word of the day is “ver”.
It’s a verb meaning “to see” or “to watch”.
The word “ver” comes from Latin videre, which also meant “to see” and is the source of the English word “video”.
“Ver” is technically an irregular verb, but the conjugation is quite simple in the tense:
- Yo veo – I see
- Tú ves – You see (informal singular)
- Él/Ella/Usted ve – He/She see, You see (formal singular)
- Nosotros/Nosotras vemos – We see
- Vosotros/Vosotras veis – You see (informal plural, only used in Spain)
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes ven – They see, You see (plural)
Another common Spanish verb related to seeing is “mirar”, which usually translates as “to look at” or “to watch”.
It can be difficult to know when to use “ver” and when to use “mirar”.
A good general principle to remember is that “ver” tends to refer to perceiving something with your eyes in a passive way, while “mirar” usually suggests more focused attention on looking at something specific.
Example sentences
No veo bien sin mis gafas.
I don’t see well without my glasses.
Ella ve a su familia los fines de semana.
She sees her family on weekends.
Vamos a ver un partido de fútbol esta tarde.
We are going to watch a soccer match this afternoon.
Vi un pájaro raro ayer.
I saw a rare bird yesterday.
Si veo a Juan, le daré tu mensaje.
If I see Juan, I will give him your message.
