How to Say "was looking" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “was looking” is “miraba” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Ella miraba las olas mientras caminaba por la playa.
She was watching the waves while she walked along the beach.
Yo miraba esa serie de niño, pero ya no la veo.
I used to watch that series as a kid, but I don't watch it anymore.
El perro miraba fijamente la pelota, esperando que se la tiraran.
The dog was looking intently at the ball, waiting for them to throw it.
Who is 'miraba'?
'Miraba' can mean 'I was looking' (yo) or 'he/she/it/you formal was looking' (él/ella/usted). You need the context of the sentence to know who is performing the action.
The Imperfect Tense's Job
This tense (the Imperfect) is used to describe actions that were ongoing in the past, repeated habits, or to set the scene for a story. It focuses on the duration, not the completion.
Confusing Imperfect and Preterite
Mistake: “Using 'Miró' (He looked—one single action) when you mean 'Miraba' (He was looking—a continuous action).”
Correction: Use 'miraba' when describing a background activity or something that happened repeatedly over time, like 'De niño, miraba muchos dibujos animados.'
Related Translations
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