Había (en. There was)

/aˈβia/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishSpanish

verb

Indicates existence or presence in the past.

Once upon a time there was a king who ruled justly.

Había una vez un rey que gobernaba con justicia.

Used in past tense constructions to indicate that something existed.

When I arrived, the meeting had already started.

Cuando llegué, ya había empezado la reunión.

Used to express past situations that were habitual.

There used to be more snowfalls in winter.

Antes había más nevadas en invierno.

From Latin 'habebat', which is the imperfect form of the verb 'habere'.

once upon a time

Expression that introduces a story or tale.

había una vez

if there had been

Conditional that implies a situation that did not occur.

si hubiera habido

when there was

Indicating a time in the past when something was happening.

cuando había

to have

Verb that indicates the existence of something.

haber

room

Enclosed space used for living or sleeping.

habitación

habitual

Occurring frequently or is normal.

habitual

Used in the sense of 'had' to express nostalgia.

That summer, there was such a vibe, pure good energy.

Aquel verano había tanto ambiente, pura buena onda.

Colloquially used to refer to something that is missed.

In school, there were more friends.

En la escuela, había más amigos.