A visualization of a repeated past action, showing a child habitually walking along a path toward a sunny park.

iba

/ee-bah/

VerbA1irregular ir

was going / were going?describing an action in progress in the past,used to go?describing a habitual action in the past

Also:would go?describing a repeated action in the past, e.g., 'every summer, we would go'

Quick Reference

infinitiveir

gerundyendo

past Participleido

📝 In Action

Cuando era niño, iba a la playa todos los veranos.

When I was a child, I used to go to the beach every summer.

Iba al supermercado cuando me llamaste.

I was going to the supermarket when you called me.

Ella siempre iba al parque después de la escuela.

She always used to go to the park after school.

¿Usted iba a decir algo?

Were you (formal) going to say something?

Word Connections

Antonyms

venía (was coming / used to come)

Common Collocations

iba a + [verbo] – was going to + [verb]
iba de camino – was on the way
iba y venía – came and went / went back and forth

Idioms & Expressions

iba sobre ruedas – it was going smoothly

💡 Grammar Points

Describing the Past: 'iba' vs. 'fui'

'Iba' describes actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, like 'I was going' or 'I used to go'. Use 'fui' (from the same verb 'ir') for completed, one-time actions, like 'I went'.

Who is 'iba'?

'Iba' is a bit of a multitasker! It can mean 'I was going,' 'he was going,' 'she was going,' or 'you (formal) were going.' You'll know who it is from the context of the conversation.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing up 'was going' and 'went'

Mistake: "Ayer, iba al cine."

Correction: Ayer, fui al cine. Use 'fui' for a single, finished trip. Use 'iba' if you want to say what you were *in the middle of doing*, like 'Iba al cine cuando te vi' (I was going to the movies when I saw you).

⭐ Usage Tips

Setting the Scene

Think of 'iba' as painting the background of a story. Use it to describe what was happening, where people used to go, or what the situation was like before the main action happened.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

yovoy

túvas

él/ella/ustedva

nosotrosvamos

vosotrosvais

ellos/ellas/ustedesvan

preterite

yofui

túfuiste

él/ella/ustedfue

nosotrosfuimos

vosotrosfuisteis

ellos/ellas/ustedesfueron

imperfect

yoiba

túibas

él/ella/ustediba

nosotrosíbamos

vosotrosibais

ellos/ellas/ustedesiban

subjunctive

present

yovaya

túvayas

él/ella/ustedvaya

nosotrosvayamos

vosotrosvayáis

ellos/ellas/ustedesvayan

imperfect

yofuera

túfueras

él/ella/ustedfuera

nosotrosfuéramos

vosotrosfuerais

ellos/ellas/ustedesfueran

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: iba

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'iba' to describe a repeated action in the past?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

ir(to go) - verb

ida(departure, one-way trip) - noun

ido(gone) - adjective/participle

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do 'yo' (I) and 'él/ella/usted' (he/she/you) use the same word 'iba'?

That's just one of the quirks of this specific verb tense! In the imperfect tense, the 'yo' and 'él/ella/usted' forms are often the same for all verbs. You can usually tell who is being talked about from the rest of the sentence or the conversation.

Can 'iba a...' mean something like 'I was about to...'?

Exactly! It's a very common way to talk about something you intended to do but might have been interrupted. For example, 'Iba a llamarte, pero se me olvidó' means 'I was going to call you, but I forgot.'