no era
/no eɾa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "wasn't" can be translated into Spanish as no era.
no era is used to describe a state, characteristic or ongoing condition in the past.
Which one should you use?
Use no era to describe ongoing states or background information in the past. In contrast, use no fue when referring to a completed action or a specific event that occurred and ended.
How does it change in a sentence?
no era is the imperfect indicative form of the verb *ser* in the first and third person singular. This tense is specifically used for describing ongoing states or characteristics in the past.
How do you pronounce it?
/no eɾa/
Did you know?
- Spanish uses no era to create a 'frozen' atmospheric effect in literature. By using this specific past tense for background details, authors can make a scene feel timeless or suspended.
- The noun era, meaning 'an era' or 'an epoch', is a borrowed term from Late Latin aera and is unrelated to the verb root of no era.
- Spanish has two different verbs for 'to be', meaning no era is only used for characteristics. To say someone 'wasn't' in a location or feeling a certain way, you must use no estaba.
Examples in context
- No era de él.It wasn't his.This sentence shows how to use no era to indicate something did not belong to him.Tatoeba #3170360 by cueyayotl, translation #2248917 by CK
- Ese no era Tom.That wasn't Tom.This sentence uses no era to identify that a person was not someone else.Tatoeba #2625327 by Shishir, translation #2235900 by CK
- No era de ella.It wasn't hers.This sentence shows how to use no era to indicate something did not belong to her.Tatoeba #4690098 by cueyayotl, translation #2248916 by CK
- El lugar no era lo que esperaba.The place wasn't what I expected.
- María no era feliz en su antiguo trabajo.Maria wasn't happy in her previous job.
- Ayer no estaba en casa.Yesterday he/she wasn't at home.
- El clima no estaba agradable durante las vacaciones.The weather wasn't pleasant during the vacation.
- El informe no se encontraba en la carpeta.The report wasn't in the folder.
- La respuesta a su solicitud no se encontraba en la base de datos.The answer to your request wasn't in the database.
- David no estaba por aquí cuando llegaste.David wasn't around when you arrived.
- La tienda no estaba por aquí, está más lejos.The store wasn't nearby, it's further away.
- El proyecto no era sostenible a largo plazo.The project wasn't sustainable in the long term.
- La reunión no se encontraba programada en mi agenda.The meeting wasn't scheduled in my calendar.
- 189 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about an old house.
- MaríaLa casa no era tan grande.The house wasn't that big.
- Mateo¿En serio? Parecía enorme.Really? It looked huge.
- MaríaNo, no era así.No, it wasn't like that.
- MateoEntiendo, debe ser la imaginación.I see, it must be my imagination.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries era, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
