once upon a time, there was

érase una vez

once upon a time, there was(wuhns uh-pan ey taym thehr wuhz)

A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g once upon a time).

phrase

1.

A word or phrase restricted in usage to literature or established writing (e.g. sex, once upon a time).

(literary)

(used to introduce a story)

a. érase una vez

Once upon a time, there was a farm boy named Jack.Érase una vez un chico de granja llamado Jack.

b. había una vez

Once upon a time, there was a puppet who wanted to be a real boy.Había una vez un títere que quería ser un chico real.