Spanish grammar
Describir a alguien en el pasado
Describe what someone looked like in old photos.
From the scene Las fotos de pequeña (Photos from when she was little)
In short
Describe how someone looked in the past with the imperfect: tenía, llevaba, era.
- I had / you had tenía / tenías
- I wore / you wore llevaba / llevabas
- curly hair pelo rizado
- I was / you were era / eras
Your turn
Which one goes with I wore / you wore?
Options: pelo rizado · llevaba / llevabas · tenía / tenías
Show answer
I wore / you wore → llevaba / llevabas
How it works
To describe how someone looked or was in the past, use the imperfect: tenía (had), llevaba (wore / was wearing), era (was).
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
¡No! (blank) muy tímida, nada más.
Clue: I (yo)
Options: Llevaba · Era · Eras
Show answer
¡No! Era muy tímida, nada más.
No! I was just very shy.
I had / you had tenía / tenías
Nuria
Sí. Tenía el pelo muy rizado.
Yes. I had very curly hair.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Sí. (blank) el pelo muy rizado.
Options: Tenía · Llevabas · Pelo rizado
Show answer
Nuria
Sí. Tenía el pelo muy rizado.
Yes. I had very curly hair.
I wore / you wore llevaba / llevabas
Nuria
Llevaba gafas desde los cinco años.
I wore glasses from the age of five.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) gafas desde los cinco años.
Options: Llevaba · Tenías · Pelo rizado
Show answer
Nuria
Llevaba gafas desde los cinco años.
I wore glasses from the age of five.
curly hair pelo rizado
I was / you were era / eras
Javi
Eras una niña muy seria.
You were a very serious little girl.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) una niña muy seria.
Options: Eras · Tenías · Llevabas
Show answer
Javi
Eras una niña muy seria.
You were a very serious little girl.
Common mistake
Not Era or Eran here. Javi is talking to Nuria (tú).
Eras una niña muy seria.
You were a very serious little girl.
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| I had / you had | tenía / tenías |
|---|---|
| I wore / you wore | llevaba / llevabas |
| curly hair | pelo rizado |
| I was / you were | era / eras |
More lines from the story
- Nuria¡No! Era muy tímida, nada más.No! I was just very shy.
- NuriaEra mi disfraz de bruja.It was my witch costume.
- JaviAh... ¡yo pensaba que era tu pelo!Oh... I thought that was your hair!