veía

Veía is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb ver, meaning to see or to watch. It expresses past actions or states that were habitual, repeated, or ongoing, rather than completed. In English, veían can translate as “I used to see,” “he/she was seeing,” or simply “saw” depending on context. For example: “Cuando era niño, veía la televisión todas las noches” means “When I was a child, I used to watch television every night.”

Conjugation and usage details: In the present tense ver is irregular in some forms, but the imperfect forms follow the regular endings with the stem ve-. The full paradigm for the imperfect indicative is: yo veía, tú veías, él/ella veía, nosotros veíamos, vosotros veíais, ellos veían. The written accent on í marks the usual stress pattern in the imperfect forms. Veía is used to set scenes, describe habitual past behavior, or indicate a past state of perception.

Related forms and contrasts: Veía is distinct from the preterite vi, which indicates a completed past action (I saw). It is also different from ve, the present subjunctive (see) or viera/viese, the imperfect subjunctive forms. Understanding veía helps in interpreting narrative context, whether describing routines, backgrounds, or ongoing perception in the past.

Etymology: Veía derives from the verb ver, which comes from the Latin videre. The imperfect endings attach to the stem ve-, producing the characteristic veía form used in everyday Spanish.