había una vez
/aˌbia ˌuna ˈbeθ/
The Spanish phrase for "once upon a time" is había una vez. It is also spelled era una vez. Wiktionary also lists érase una vez.
Meaning: traditional beginning of children’s stories, especially fairy tales (adv)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| había una vez | /aˌbia ˌuna ˈbeθ/ /aˌbia ˌuna ˈbes/ |
|
| érase una vez | /ˌeɾase ˌuna ˈbeθ/ /ˌeɾase ˌuna ˈbes/ |
|
| era una vez | /ˌeɾa ˌuna ˈbeθ/ /ˌeɾa ˌuna ˈbes/ |
alternative form |
These phrases are almost exclusively used to begin fairy tales, fables or legends.
Which one should you use?
Había una vez is the most common way to start a story, while érase una vez is more literary and slightly more archaic or formal in tone. Note that era una vez is an alternative spelling of érase una vez.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˌbia ˌuna ˈbeθ/
Did you know?
- In érase una vez, the se is an enclitic pronoun, a grammatical structure where the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. In modern spoken Spanish, this is almost never done except in very specific commands.
- The word vez in these phrases actually traces back to the Latin word vicis, which means 'change' or 'turn' rather than just a count of time.
- The phrase cuenta la leyenda is often added after the opening to signal that the story is a local legend rather than a fictional fairy tale.
Examples in context
- Había una vez un cruel rey.Once upon a time, there lived a cruel king.This sentence shows how to use había una vez to introduce a character.Tatoeba #1481155 by marcelostockle, translation #63669 by CM
- Érase una vez una bella princesa.Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess.This sentence shows how to use érase una vez to introduce a character.Tatoeba #759228 by Shishir, translation #1156507 by Eldad
- Había una vez un trozo de madera.Once upon a time there was a piece of wood.This sentence shows how to use había una vez to introduce an object.Tatoeba #2724084 by Shishir, translation #2722396 by Hybrid
- Érase una vez, en un lejano reino, un valiente caballero que buscaba…Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a brave knight who sought…
- Había una vez un pequeño pueblo en medio de la montaña…There was once a small town in the middle of the mountain…
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía is reading a storybook to Mateo.
- SofíaHabía una vez un pequeño dragón verde.Once upon a time, there was a little green dragon.
- Mateo¿Era un dragón bueno, Sofía?Was he a good dragon, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, era muy amable y valiente.Yes, he was very kind and brave.
- Mateo¡Qué divertido es este cuento!This story is so fun!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “once upon a time” translations and entries había una vez, érase una vez, era una vez, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries era, una, vez, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
