fuiste

Fuiste is the second-person singular preterite indicative form of the Spanish verbs ser and ir. In Spanish, the preterite is used to describe completed actions or states in the past. Because ser and ir share the same preterite forms, the exact meaning of a sentence containing fuiste depends on context.

Form and scope: In the full preterite paradigm for these two verbs, the forms are fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron. The form fuiste corresponds to tú for both ser and ir, while the meaning is determined by the accompanying verb or situation. For example, fuiste can mean “you were” or “you went,” depending on the sentence.

Usage and examples: With ser, fuiste expresses a past state or identity: “Ayer, tú fuiste mi profesor.” With ir, it expresses a past action of movement: “Ayer, tú fuiste a Madrid.” In questions, “¿Fuiste tú?” is used to confirm identity, while “¿Fuiste a la fiesta?” asks about attending a past event.

Ambiguity and clarification: Since the preterite forms of ser and ir are identical, spoken Spanish relies on context, intonation, and accompanying words to convey the intended meaning. In writing, punctuation and surrounding verbs usually resolve the ambiguity.

Etymology and note: The form fuiste derives from the irregular preterite of the two parallel verbs ser and ir, which share a common stem in the preterite (fu-). This shared morphology is characteristic of their past-tense conjugation in standard Spanish.

See also: Preterite tense, Ser, Ir, Spanish verb conjugation.