había

había

"Había" means "there was" or "there were."

Describes a past state or existence using the imperfect tense.

Había una vez un castillo en lo alto de la montaña.

There once was a castle on the top of the mountain.

Indicates a past situation or presence using the imperfect tense in a descriptive manner.

Había muchas personas esperando en la puerta.

There were many people waiting at the door.

Expresses a past action that had occurred using the past perfect tense.

Había ocurrido algo extraño en el vecindario.

Something strange had happened in the neighborhood.