Which "I was" do I use for different situations?

Question

Dear Spanishdict Community, I know there are four ways to say "I was" in Spanish: fui, era, estuve, and estaba. I do not understand when to use each one. Does anyone have advice for me? Thank you, Theresa P

Answer 1

LevTrot's answer in the link from Nkm is a good one.

Another way to tackle this problem is to take the two words, Ser and Estar, and two tenses Preterite and Imperfect, and look at their combinations. So for the first person:

Ser / Preterite = Fui
Ser / Imperfect = Era
Estar / Preterite = Estuve
Estar / Imperfect = Estaba

Now you have to determine whether the situation you are describing requires Ser or Estar, and Preterite or Imperfect, then go with the word for the correct combination. SD has two very good articles that will help you determine this. The links are below:

Ser vs Estar

Preterite vs Imperfect

Very good! I like the way the admins. have improved things here. The new layout and in depth explanations, with references. It's just really a lot of quality material. - rac1, Jun 8, 2017

Agreed Amber. I'm one of those people who generally doesn't like change, but they have done well with the new layout and I have to admit it is an improvement :) - jellonz, Jun 8, 2017

Answer 2

Thank you all for the feedback. I am familiar with when to use ser vs. estar, preterite vs. imperfect. I think I would benefit from some sample sentences using fui, era, estaba, and estuve.

Answer 3

Just read the LevTrot post - it was just what I was looking for. Thanks!

Answer 4

I don't know where you are in your study of Spanish. A completed profile would help a lot.

There are two really BIG grammatical considerations here. First, when do you use "ser" and when do you use "estar"

Then the next question is when do you use the preterit forms of either verb and when do you use the "imperfect" forms of either verb.

If you don't understand what I am talking about, you need to PM me or edit your original question to let people know where you are in your study of this language. I am a Spanish professor and can help you get a grasp on this if you can tell me what you do know about these points of grammar.

Here's a link to an article I wrote on Ser and Estar to get you started.

Link to Ser and Estar

At what university? I think you told me before, but I couldn't remember. Sorry. - rac1, Jun 8, 2017

Answer 5

Hello!

This link from 2013 might be the answer to your question. Fui o Estaba

Hope this helps.

Regards!