How to Say "was arriving" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “was arriving” is “llegaba” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishA2
verbA2
describing an action in progress in the past
Examples
Yo siempre llegaba tarde a la escuela.
I always used to arrive late to school.
Cuando ella llegaba, nosotros estábamos saliendo.
When she was arriving, we were leaving.
El agua me llegaba a las rodillas.
The water was reaching my knees.
Painting the Background
Use 'llegaba' to set the scene or describe what was happening when something else occurred.
Habits in the Past
This word is perfect for talking about routines you had, like 'I used to arrive at 8 AM every day.'
Llegó vs. Llegaba
Mistake: “Using 'llegó' to mean 'I used to arrive.'”
Correction: Use 'llegó' for a one-time event (I arrived) and 'llegaba' for a habit (I used to arrive).
Related Translations
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