Hubo (en. Was)

/uβo/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishSpanish

verb

Indicates the existence of something in a past time.

There was a major change in the country's policy.

Hubo un gran cambio en la política del país.

Used to narrate past events.

Once upon a time, there was a king who lived in a castle.

Hubo una vez un rey que vivía en un castillo.

Used to express past conditions.

There were problems with the connection during the meeting.

Hubo problemas en la conexión durante la reunión.

From the verb 'haber' in its impersonal form of the preterite.

there was a time

Refers to a past period in which specific things happened.

hubo un tiempo

there were changes

Indicates that modifications or transformations occurred.

hubo cambios

it was necessary to

Used to express that it was necessary to do something.

hubo que

haber

Auxiliary verb used to form compound tenses.

haber

habiendo

Gerund form of the verb haber.

habiendo

había

Form of the verb haber in the imperfect preterite.

había

Colloquial expression to refer to something important or eye-catching.

There were all kinds of people at the party!

¡Hubo gente de todo tipo en la fiesta!

Used to emphasize the presence of something unexpected.

There was a scare when the lights went out!

¡Hubo un susto cuando se apagaron las luces!