Spanish grammar
Estaba, era, había
Describe how things were.
From the scene Estaba cansada (I was tired)
In short
To describe the past, use estaba for states and feelings, era for what something was like, había for there was.
- I was tired estaba cansada
- it was small era pequeño
- there was a lot of noise había mucho ruido
- he was sleeping estaba durmiendo
Your turn
Which one goes with it was small?
Options: estaba cansada · había mucho ruido · era pequeño
Show answer
it was small → era pequeño
How it works
To describe the past (how someone felt, what something was like), Spanish uses the imperfect, a past form for background and description.
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
¿Y eso? ¿Qué (blank)?
Clue: what was going on
Options: pasó · pasaba · pasa
Show answer
¿Y eso? ¿Qué pasaba?
How come? What was going on?
Good to know
Estaba = was (a feeling or state), era = was (what someone or something was like), había = there was / there were.
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
(blank) el bar nuevo de abajo.
Clue: it was (saying what it was)
Options: Estaba · Era · Es
Show answer
Era el bar nuevo de abajo.
It was the new bar downstairs.
I was tired estaba cansada
it was small era pequeño
Your turn
What goes with era pequeño?
Options: I was tired · there was a lot of noise · it was small
Show answer
era pequeño → it was small
there was a lot of noise había mucho ruido
Nuria
Había mucho ruido en la calle.
There was a lot of noise in the street.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) en la calle.
Options: Había mucho ruido · Estaba cansada · Era pequeño
Show answer
Nuria
Había mucho ruido en la calle.
There was a lot of noise in the street.
he was sleeping estaba durmiendo
Your turn
What goes with estaba durmiendo?
Options: he was sleeping · I was tired · it was small
Show answer
estaba durmiendo → he was sleeping
Common mistake
Not Estoy or Estuve here. I was (how I felt).
Perdone, Doña Elena. Estaba muy cansada.
Sorry, Doña Elena. I was very tired.
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 was tired | estaba cansada |
|---|---|
| it was small | era pequeño |
| there was a lot of noise | había mucho ruido |
| he was sleeping | estaba durmiendo |
More lines from the story
- NuriaPerdone, Doña Elena. Estaba muy cansada.Sorry, Doña Elena. I was very tired.
- Elena¿Y eso? ¿Qué pasaba?How come? What was going on?
- NuriaEra el bar nuevo de abajo.It was the new bar downstairs.
- ElenaYo estaba despierta mirando por la ventana.I was awake watching from the window.
- NuriaNo podía dormir. Era muy tarde ya.I couldn't sleep. It was already very late.