Inklingo
← Dictionary
Two cheerful children are standing side-by-side, proudly holding up a large, brightly colored finished puzzle, symbolizing that 'we had' completed it.

habíamos

ah-BEE-ah-mos

VerbB1irregular er
we had?as in 'we had done something'
Also:we'd?contraction

Quick Reference

infinitivehaber
gerundhabiendo
past Participlehabido

📝 In Action

Cuando llegaron, ya habíamos comprado los boletos.

B1

When they arrived, we had already bought the tickets.

No sabíamos que habíamos dejado la luz encendida.

B1

We didn't know that we had left the light on.

Si lo habíamos planeado, ¿por qué no lo hicimos?

B2

If we had planned it, why didn't we do it?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • habíamos hecho (we had done)

Common Collocations

  • Habíamos visto – We had seen
  • Habíamos dicho – We had said/told

💡 Grammar Points

Forming the Past Perfect

Use 'habíamos' (the helping verb) followed immediately by the main verb's past participle (usually ending in -ado or -ido) to say what 'we had done'.

Showing Sequence in the Past

This tense is crucial for establishing that one action (the one with 'habíamos') happened and finished BEFORE another past event.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing Up the Helping Verb

Mistake: "Using 'éramos' instead of 'habíamos' (e.g., 'Éramos comido')."

Correction: Only 'haber' (habíamos) is used as the helping verb for compound tenses in Spanish, never 'ser' or 'estar'.

⭐ Usage Tips

The 'We Had' Rule

Whenever you want to say 'we had finished,' 'we had gone,' or 'we had seen' in English, you must use 'habíamos' in Spanish.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedha
yohe
túhas
ellos/ellas/ustedeshan
nosotroshemos
vosotroshabéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedhabía
yohabía
túhabías
ellos/ellas/ustedeshabían
nosotroshabíamos
vosotroshabíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedhubo
yohube
túhubiste
ellos/ellas/ustedeshubieron
nosotroshubimos
vosotroshubisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedhaya
yohaya
túhayas
ellos/ellas/ustedeshayan
nosotroshayamos
vosotroshayáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedhubiera
yohubiera
túhubieras
ellos/ellas/ustedeshubieran
nosotroshubiéramos
vosotroshubierais
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: habíamos

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'habíamos' to describe an action that happened before another past event?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

haber(to have (auxiliary)) - verb
había(there was/were, I/he/she had) - verb
hemos(we have) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'habíamos' used for possession, like 'we had a car'?

No. In Spanish, the verb *tener* (to have) is used for possession ('Teníamos un coche'). 'Habíamos' is only used as a helping verb to create complex tenses, like saying 'we had eaten' (*Habíamos comido*).

What is the full tense that 'habíamos' helps create?

It helps create the Past Perfect Indicative (or Pluperfect), which is used to talk about an action completed before a definite point in the past.