vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Quién fue" is a form of "quién fue", a phrase which is often translated as "who was". "Quién era" is a form of "quién era", a phrase which is often translated as "who that was". Learn more about the difference between "quién fue" and "quién era" below.
quién fue(
kyehn
fweh
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
a. who was
¿Quién fue el primer hombre que pisó la luna? - Neil Amstrong.Who was the first man who stepped on the moon? - Neil Amstrong.
a. who went
¿Quién fue hoy a clase de mates? - Yo, ¿quieres que te deje los apuntes?Who went to maths today? - Me, do you want to borrow my notes?
a. who it was
No consigo acordarme de quién fue el que dijo que algún día todos tendrían sus 15 minutos de fama.I can't remember who it was that said that thing about everyone having their 15 minutes of fame one day.
a. who went
Me estaba preguntando quién fue al final al cine, porque nadie parecía tener muchas ganas.I was wondering who went to the movies eventually, because no one seemed to really want to go.
quién era(
kyehn
eh
-
rah
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
1. (general)
a. who that was
Explícame quién era y qué hacía aquí.Explain me who that was and what he was doing here.
b. who it was
¿Quién era el hombre que vino hace rato? - Nadie sabe quién era.Who was the man who came by a while ago? - Nobody knows who it was.
