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"Había estado" is a form of "había estado", a phrase which is often translated as "he'd been". "Había sido" is a form of "había sido", a phrase which is often translated as "I had been". Learn more about the difference between "había estado" and "había sido" below.
había estado(
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)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. he'd been
Antes de casarse con Guadalupe, había estado casado dos veces.Before marrying Guadalupe, he'd been married twice.
b. she'd been
Había estado muy cansada todo el día, y resultó que tenía gripe.She'd been very tired all day, and it so turned out that she had the flu.
c. it'd been
El edificio estaba en ruinas. Había estado abandonado durante mucho tiempo.The building was in ruins. It'd been abandoned for a long time.
d. had been
Andrés había estado muy contento toda la semana pensando en que por fin se iba de vacaciones.Andres had been very happy all week, thinking that he was finally going on vacation.
2. (formal) (used to talk about states; second person singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
a. you'd been
Como había estado embarazada antes, imagino que sabía qué esperar cuando tuvo a su segundo hijo.Since you'd been pregnant before, I imagine you knew what to expect when you had your second child.
a. I'd been
Había estado muy triste porque había perdido a mi perro y, cuando lo encontraron, me puse muy contento.I'd been very sad because I'd lost my dog, and when they found him, I was really happy.
a. he'd been
Luis nos dijo que había estado en Venecia durante su luna de miel.Luis told us he'd been to Venice during his honeymoon.
b. she'd been
Fui a París con Ana. Ella lo conocía muy bien porque ya había estado allí dos veces.I went to Paris with Ana. She knew it well because she'd already been there twice.
c. had been
Pascual había estado en la India y nos enseñó las fotos.Pascual had been to India and he showed us his photos.
5. (formal) (used to talk about visited places; second person singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
a. you'd been
El día que nos encontramos con usted, había estado en la exposición, ¿verdad? ¿Qué le pareció?The day we met you, you'd been to the exhibition, hadn't you? What did you make of it?
a. I'd been
¿Era la primera vez que ibas a Túnez? - No, había estado allí antes.Was it your first time in Tunisia? - No, I'd been there before.
había sido(
ah
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bee
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)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. I had been
Yo había sido jugador de hockey antes de dedicarme a entrenar profesionalmente.I had been a hockey player before I took up professional coaching.
a. he had been (masculine)
Había sido un hombre bastante libertino antes de hacerse monje.He had been quite a libertine before becoming a monk.
b. she had been (feminine)
Petra sabía perfectamente cómo curar la herida. Había sido enfermera durante la guerra.Petra knew perfectly well how to heal the wound. She had been a nurse during the war.
c. it had been
Había sido un día bastante frenético y necesitaba descansar.It had been a pretty hectic day and I needed a rest.
3. (formal) (second person; singular)
A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).
a. you had been
En aquel momento usted había sido elegido presidente de su país. ¿Cómo se sentía?At the time you had been elected President of your country. How did you feel?
