Uses of the Verb Haber in the Past

The verb haber in Spanish expresses the existence of something. However, its form can be a bit confusing for Spanish learners. In this article, we will look at the differences between había and hubo.

Reviewing Hay

Rule 1. Before going deeper into the uses of había and hubo, let's briefly revisit the impersonal form of the verb haber: hay. Its English equivalent is there is or there are. However, remember that in Spanish, hay is invariably used, regardless of whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

So, What About Había?

Rule 2. Había is the past form of hay, so its English equivalent would be there was or there were. Just like hay, había does not vary in number or gender.

Differences between Había and Hubo

Rule 3. Hubo and Había are very similar in that they can both be translated as there was or there were. However, they express slightly different things.

Use había when describing an action that happened in the past with no clear end of the action (not a completed action). Use hubo to describe an action that happened in the past with a clear beginning and ending (completed action).