Ir (to go) · Preterite
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Ir in the Spanish preterite (pretérito indefinido) is: yo fui, tú fuiste, él/ella/usted fue, nosotros/as fuimos, vosotros/as fuisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes fueron. The preterite of ir describes a completed past trip or movement. Its forms are identical to the preterite of ser ('fui' = I went OR I was) — context tells you which.
| To Go | Ir |
|---|---|
| I went | yo fui |
| you went | tú fuiste |
| he/she went | él/ella/usted fue |
| we went | nosotros/as fuimos |
| you went | vosotros/as fuisteis |
| they went | ellos/ellas/ustedes fueron |
Ir (to go) in context
Sentences that use ir in the preterite. Tap each to hear it.
I went to Paris last summer.
Did you go to the concert last night?
My uncle went to see me at the hospital.
We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant.
Why didn't you go to the wedding?
The guests went very early.
Working with the preterite
The preterite describes a finished past action with a clear boundary — "ayer comí pizza" (yesterday I ate pizza). The key contrast is with the imperfect, which describes ongoing or repeated past actions without a defined endpoint. If you can substitute "used to" or "was doing" in English, you usually want the imperfect; if the action is one-and-done, you want the preterite. The irregular preterites (fui, hice, dije, tuve, vine, supe) are the highest-frequency in Spanish — front-load them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate ir in the preterite?
How do I know if 'fui' means 'I went' or 'I was'?
When do I use 'fui' instead of 'iba'?
Practice Ir (To Go) in real conversations
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