Using había to say there was / there were

Inma Sánchez
2021-01-21
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In Spanish we use había to say there was or there were. Read and listen to these examples:

Había un perro en el parque.There was a dog in the park.

Había dos perros en el parque.There were two dogs in the park.

Había un niño en la clase.There was a child in the classroom.

Había demasiados niños.There were too many kids.

Había una buena oferta para ir a Tenerife.There was a good offer to go to Tenerife.

Había descuentos para estudiantes.There were discounts for students.

In Spanish, you use había when it is followed by one thing/person or many things/people, unlike in English.
GRAMMAR: Había is an impersonal form that comes from the third person of the verb haber in El Pretérito Imperfecto. It literally means it had.

See also Using hubo = there was / there were (simple past)

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Examples and resources

Había demasiados niños.There were too many kids.
Había una buena oferta para ir a Tenerife.There was a good offer to go to Tenerife.
Había descuentos para estudiantes.There were discounts for students.
Había un perro en el parque.There was a dog in the park.
Había un niño en la clase.There was a child in the classroom.
Había dos perros en el parque.There were two dogs in the park.
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