Saying 'Habían' for 'There were'

In English, you have to choose between 'there was' and 'there were'. Spanish makes it easy: 'había' works for both! It doesn't change, even if you're talking about a million things.

One Word for 'Was' and 'Were'

Use 'había' to paint a picture of the past. It's perfect for describing what a place was like or what was happening in the background before the main action starts.

Setting the Scene in a Story

Extremely common. It's the primary way to talk about the existence of things in the past.

Using the Wrong Helper

Use 'había' (plus a verb like 'comido', 'visto', etc.) to talk about something that happened *before* another past event. It's like telling a story in layers.

The 'Past of the Past'

In the phrase 'había comido' (had eaten), the two words 'había' and 'comido' always stick together. Don't put any other words, like 'no', in between them.

Never Separated

This is great for giving context. For example: 'I didn't go to the party (main event), because I had already made other plans (the reason, which happened first).'

Adding Background to a Story

Essential for telling stories or explaining events that happened before other past events.

Learn the two key meanings of 'había' in Spanish. Understand how to use it for 'there was/there were' and as a helper verb for 'had done something' (pluperfect tense). See examples, common mistakes, and full conjugations for the verb haber.

había

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

preterite

imperfect

future

conditional

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations