¿quién era?
/ˈkjen ˈeɾa/word by word
The Spanish phrase for "who was that?" is ¿quién era?
This phrase is used to ask for the identity of a person who was previously mentioned or seen.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between using the imperfect and the preterite tense. Use ¿quién era? to describe a person's identity in a continuous or descriptive sense, such as asking about someone who was standing there. In contrast, use ¿quién fue? to ask about a person who appeared and then finished a specific action, such as someone who just walked by.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes to the plural form ¿quiénes eran? if you are asking about more than one person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkjen ˈeɾa/
Did you know?
- In some dialects, if someone asks ¿quién era? about a mysterious caller or visitor, the answer may be un alma en pena to jokingly imply the person was a ghost.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿quién era? about a guest who just left is a way to prompt the host to share a social anecdote or a connection about the person.
- The word quién descends from the Latin word quem, which is the same root used to create the English word 'whom'.
Examples in context
- ¡Oye, ¿quién era ese chico que acabamos de ver?Hey, who was that guy we just saw?
- ¿Quién era esa morra/güey que nos encontramos en la fiesta?Who was that girl/dude we ran into at the party?
- ¿Quién era ese hombre?Who was that man?
- No reconozco su voz, ¿quién era?I don't recognize his voice, who was that?
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are looking at an old family album.
- ElenaVi a un hombre en esta página, ¿quién era?I saw a man on this page, who was that?
- MateoEra mi abuelo cuando era joven.It was my grandfather when he was young.
- ElenaEs una foto muy bonita.It is a very beautiful photo.
- MateoSí, me gusta mucho esta imagen.Yes, I like this image a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (quién, era) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries era, quién, CC BY-SA 4.0.
