How to Say "was holding" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “was holding” is “llevaba” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

Examples
Ella siempre llevaba un paraguas en el bolso.
She always carried an umbrella in her bag.
Yo llevaba todas las cajas grandes a la camioneta.
I was carrying all the big boxes to the truck.
Cuando vivíamos allí, la gente llevaba sombreros tradicionales.
When we lived there, people used to wear traditional hats.
Focus on the Imperfect
This form ('llevaba') describes an action that happened many times in the past (habit) or an action that was ongoing when something else happened.
Imperfect vs. Preterite
Mistake: “Using 'llevó' (he carried once, completed) instead of 'llevaba' (he used to carry, habit).”
Correction: 'Llevaba' is for routines or background descriptions; 'llevó' is for a single, finished event.
Related Translations
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