iba
“iba” means “was going / were going” in Spanish (describing an action in progress in the past).
was going / were going, used to go
Also: would go
📝 In Action
Cuando era niño, iba a la playa todos los veranos.
A2When I was a child, I used to go to the beach every summer.
Iba al supermercado cuando me llamaste.
A2I was going to the supermarket when you called me.
Ella siempre iba al parque después de la escuela.
A2She always used to go to the park after school.
¿Usted iba a decir algo?
B1Were you (formal) going to say something?
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "iba" in Spanish:
would go→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: iba
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'iba' to describe a repeated action in the past?
📚 More Resources
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb 'ire', meaning 'to go'. The 'b' sound in the middle is a feature of the imperfect tense in Latin, which Spanish kept for '-ar' verbs and this very special irregular verb.
First recorded: Ancient, derived from Vulgar Latin.
Cognates (Related words)
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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.'