Estuvo vs Estaba

Hola Joseph F.

Great question!

Both "estaba muy cambiado" and "estuvo muy cambiado" are grammatically correct, but the choice between them depends on the nuance you want to convey.

When you say "estaba muy cambiado", you're using the imperfect tense, which is typically used to describe background conditions or ongoing states.

In this case, you're focusing on how Pablo was at the time you saw him — his changed appearance is seen as a continuous state during that moment. This option is generally more natural in the context you’ve provided, as it sets the scene and describes Pablo’s condition when you encountered him.

On the other hand, "estuvo muy cambiado" uses the preterite tense, which emphasizes a completed action or a state viewed as bounded in time. Using estuvo would suggest that Pablo appeared changed just at that specific moment — more like a snapshot or brief impression. It’s grammatically fine, but stylistically less common in this context.

So in your sentence — "Me encontré con Pablo y no lo reconocí. Estaba/Estuvo muy cambiado." — "estaba" is the more natural choice because you're describing how he appeared during the encounter, rather than presenting it as a one-off completed change.

If you’re interested in exploring this difference further, here are a couple of helpful lessons:

• Using the imperfect vs preterite of "estar" 

• Imperfect vs Preterite: general overview

Hope this helps! Let me know if you’d like more examples or have further questions.

Feliz día

Silvia