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.
Spanish
English
Había mucha gente porque hubo una fiesta al final de la calle.
There were a lot of people because there was a party at the end of the street.
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.
Spanish
English
Hay muchas personas en el estadio.
There are many people in the stadium.
Hay una persona en todo el estadio.
There is one person in the entire stadium.
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.
Spanish
English
Había pocas personas en la boda, fue un evento pequeño.
There were few people at the wedding, it was a small event.
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).
Spanish
English
Había muchas personas caminando en la calle porque hubo una fiesta a las 7:00pm
There were many people walking on the street because there was a party at 7:00pm.
Quiz
1/3
__________ unas 500 personas en el evento.
0
correct answers.