iban
“iban” means “they were going” in Spanish (describing an ongoing action).
they were going, they used to goAlso: you all were going
📝 In Action
Ellos iban al parque todos los sábados.
A1They used to go to the park every Saturday.
Cuando los vimos, ya iban muy rápido.
A2When we saw them, they were already going very fast.
Ustedes iban en el coche rojo, ¿verdad?
A2You all were going in the red car, right?
Los niños iban en fila hacia la biblioteca.
B1The children were going in a line toward the library.
Word Connections
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: iban
Question 1 of 2
Which English sentence correctly uses the meaning of 'iban'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family
📚 Etymology
'Iban' comes from the verb 'ir,' which is one of the most ancient and irregular verbs in Spanish. Its forms, including 'iban,' trace back to the Latin verb 'ire' (to go). Interestingly, in the past tenses, 'ir' and 'ser' (to be) share many of the same forms (like 'fui' and 'fueron').
First recorded: Old Spanish
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'iban' the same as 'fueron'?
No, they are different! Both are past forms of 'ir' (to go). 'Iban' (Imperfect) is for ongoing or repeated actions ('they were going,' 'they used to go'). 'Fueron' (Preterite) is for a single, completed action ('they went').
Why does 'ir' have two different verbs in the past tense?
Spanish uses two main past tenses (Imperfect and Preterite) to distinguish between completed actions ('fueron') and continuous or habitual actions ('iban'). This is a core difference between Spanish and English.