Preterite Tense of "Ser" and "Ir"

Question

I was wondering and was confused about why "ser" and "ir" were conjugated the same in the preterite tense. Does anybody know why?

Welcome to SpanishDict. Follow Ken's advice. - rac1, Apr 23, 2017

Answer 1

I don't know why, but it is easy to determine which verb is being used. The context will determine which English verb is being expressed.

EX Paco fue a la tienda y le compró un regalo a su mamá. Paco went to the store and bought his mother a gift.

Paco fue un buen muchacho. Paco was a good boy.

Thanks Daniela . - ray76, Apr 24, 2017

Could the similarities between "ser" and "ir" be a source of puns in Spanish? - B_A_Beder, Apr 25, 2017

Answer 2

Just do a google search - why are ser and ir the same in preterite.

Here's one good hit.

ser y ir en pretérito simple

Thanks mate. - ray76, Apr 24, 2017