ayer fue
/aʝeɾ fwe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "yesterday was" is translated into Spanish as ayer fue.
ayer fue is used to describe a specific quality, event or fact that occurred on the day before today.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ayer (yesterday) and fue (the third-person singular preterite indicative of the verb ser, meaning "was").
Which one should you use?
Use ayer fue when stating specific facts or completed events, such as ayer fue domingo (yesterday was Sunday). In contrast, if you were describing a continuous state or a background setting in the past, you would use the imperfect form ayer era.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb fue is the preterite form, which is the standard way to describe completed actions or states in the past when referring to a specific day like yesterday.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, you cannot use ayer fue to describe the weather if you are talking about a general state. You would instead use hizo, from the verb hacer (to make), because weather is viewed as something the day 'made'.
- The word ayer actually contains a hidden prefix. It is thought to have developed from the Latin phrase ab herī, which literally means 'from yesterday' or 'since yesterday'.
- In certain Spanish-speaking regions, the concept of 'the day before yesterday' is compressed into the single word antier. This avoids the need for a multi-word phrase to describe the day preceding ayer.
Examples in context
- Ayer fue un día caluroso.Yesterday was a hot day.This sentence is useful for describing the weather of the previous day using ayer fue.Tatoeba #6692084 by arh, translation #6691900 by CK
- Ayer fue domingo, no sábado.Yesterday was Sunday, not Saturday.This sentence is useful for clarifying which specific day of the week occurred using ayer fue.Tatoeba #624141 by Leono, translation #244532 by CK
- Ayer fue el último día de clase.Yesterday was the last day of school.This sentence is useful for identifying a specific past event using ayer fue.Tatoeba #683125 by Shishir, translation #682513 by Source_VOA
- Ayer fue un día muy productivo en la oficina.Yesterday was a very productive day at the office.
- Según el informe, ayer fue uno de los días más calurosos del año.According to the report, yesterday was one of the hottest days of the year.
- Ayer fue un día genial, salí con mis amigos.Yesterday was a great day, I went out with my friends.
- Ayer fue que me di cuenta del problema.Yesterday was when I realized the problem.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are talking about a party.
- ElenaAyer fue la fiesta de cumpleaños.Yesterday was the birthday party.
- JavierSí, fue muy divertida.Yes, it was very fun.
- ElenaAyer fue el mejor día del mes.Yesterday was the best day of the month.
- JavierEstoy de acuerdo, Elena.I agree, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ayer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
