Imperfect vs. Preterite

This form is used to describe actions or states that were continuous, habitual, or descriptive in the past. Think of it as 'I was existing' or 'I used to exist.'

The Imperfect Tense (El Imperfecto)

'Existía' is tricky because it works for two people: 'Yo existía' (I existed) and 'Él/Ella/Usted existía' (He/She/You formal existed). You need the pronoun (Yo, Él, Ella) or context to know who is being talked about.

Dual Pronoun Use

In Spanish, 'existía' is often used just like 'había' (from the verb 'haber') to mean 'there was/were' when referring to things. Example: 'Existía mucha gente' = 'Había mucha gente'.

Impersonal Use Tip

Extremely common. Used constantly to talk about states, conditions, or things that were present in the past.

Learn the meaning and proper use of the Spanish verb form 'existía' (I/he/she/it existed, there was), the imperfect tense of 'existir.' Includes usage tips and conjugation tables.

existía

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

present

imperative

affirmative

negative

indicative

imperfect

conditional

present

preterite

future

Practice Conjugations