era
/EH-rah/
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Cuando yo era niño, vivía en México.
A2When I was a child, I lived in Mexico.
La película era muy interesante.
A2The movie was very interesting.
Ella era mi profesora de matemáticas.
A1She was my math teacher.
¿Cómo era tu abuelo?
B1What was your grandfather like?
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
💡 Grammar Points
Describing the Past with 'Era'
'Era' comes from the verb 'ser' (to be). Use it to talk about what people or things were like over a period of time in the past. Think of it as painting a picture of the background of a story.
Two Forms in One
Notice that 'era' means both 'I was' (for 'yo') and 'he/she/you (formal) was' (for 'él/ella/usted'). You can usually tell who is being talked about from the rest of the sentence.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'Era' vs. 'Fue'
Mistake: "To describe what a party was like, someone might say: 'La fiesta fue divertida.'"
Correction: It's better to say: 'La fiesta era divertida.' Use 'era' for descriptions. Use 'fue' for completed actions, like 'La fiesta fue el sábado' (The party was on Saturday).
Using 'Era' vs. 'Estaba'
Mistake: "To say 'She was sad,' a learner might say: 'Ella era triste.'"
Correction: Say 'Ella estaba triste.' 'Era triste' means she was a sad person in general (her personality). 'Estaba triste' means she was feeling sad at that moment (a temporary emotion).
⭐ Usage Tips
Setting the Scene
Start your stories with 'era' to set the scene. For example: 'Era una noche oscura y tormentosa...' (It was a dark and stormy night...).
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: era
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly describes what someone was like as a child?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'era' mean both 'I was' and 'he/she was'?
It's just one of the quirks of the Spanish language! In the imperfect tense, the 'yo' form and the 'él/ella/usted' form of many verbs are the same. You can almost always tell who the speaker means from the context of the conversation.
What's the quickest way to remember when to use 'era' vs. 'fue'?
Think of it this way: use 'era' for the background scenery of a story (descriptions, what used to happen, age, weather). Use 'fue' for the main actions that happened once and were completed (the party was a success, he was president for four years).
Is the noun 'era' related to the verb 'era'?
No, they are completely unrelated! It's a coincidence that they look and sound the same. The verb comes from the Latin word for 'was' (erat), while the noun comes from a different Latin word (aera) that meant 'epoch' or 'age'.