era
/ˈeɾa/
The English phrase 'was' can be translated to Spanish as era.
era is used to express 'was' or 'used to be' when you are describing a continuous state, a characteristic or a habitual action in the past.
Which one should you use?
Use era when you are describing what something was like, such as an ongoing state. In contrast, if you are describing a completed event that occurred at a specific point in time, you would use fue.
How does it change in a sentence?
To match the subject of your sentence, you must conjugate the verb: use eras for you (informal), éramos for we and eran for they or you all.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeɾa/
Did you know?
- When describing a person's age in the past, Spanish speakers must use tenía meaning 'had' instead of era meaning 'was'.
- The word era functions as both a verb meaning 'was' and a noun meaning 'an era' or 'a period of time'.
- Spanish has a 'doublet' relationship between era and área, as both are inherited from the Latin word ārea.
Examples in context
- Sé lo que era.I know what it was.This sentence is useful for showing how to use era when referring to an object or situation.Tatoeba #4554907 by swyter, translation #2376297 by CK
- ¿Era eso un sí?Was that a yes?This sentence is useful for asking a question using era.Tatoeba #6883783 by arh, translation #2649081 by CK
- Él era mi amigo.He was my friend.This sentence is useful for describing a person using era.Tatoeba #1503290 by marcelostockle, translation #1108025 by Scott
- Juan era muy inteligente.Juan was very intelligent.
- Ella estaba cansada.She was tired.
- El hotel era lujoso.The hotel was luxurious.
- Yo estaba en la playa.I was at the beach.
- 2700 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are talking about their old school.
- ElenaLa escuela era muy grande.The school was very large.
- DanielSí, y era muy antigua.Yes, and it was very old.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿era divertido el recreo?Daniel, was recess fun?
- DanielSí, siempre era divertido.Yes, it was always fun.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry era, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries era, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
