🤔 Fui vs era in Spanish: the grammar duel you can’t escape ⚔️

For English speakers, the Spanish past tense can feel like a grammar jungle 🌴. In English, I was works everywhere. But in Spanish, you’ll bump into fui, era, estuve, iba... What? 🤯 But why so many options? Because Spanish sees the past in a different way: it separates completed 📸vs ongoing actions 📹.

Let’s untangle it together in this ultimate showdown! 💥👇

1️⃣ Fui vs Era: the identity face-off 

Both fui and era come from the verb ser (‘to be’), but they don’t mean the same. The difference is the tense. Think of it this way: fui is a snapshot (completed, closed) 📸, while era is part of the film (ongoing, descriptive)🎬:

Preterite (fui) → a completed identity or fact, something seen as finished ✅:

 👨🏻‍⚕Fui doctora durante cinco años → I was a doctor for five years (closed chapter).

Imperfect (era) → an ongoing description or background identity in the past. 🔁

👨🏻‍🏫 Era profesora cuando vivía en Londres → I was a teacher when I lived in London (ongoing background).

👉 Do you want to go deeper into Spanish past tenses? 📚 Don’t miss our posts about the pretérito indefinido ⏳ and the imperfecto 🔄. They’ll help you master when and how to use each tense with clear and fun examples! 🎉

2️⃣ Estuve vs Estaba: second part of the showdown 

Just like with ser, the verb estar also has two past tense forms in Spanish: estuve and estaba 🌟. The challenge for English speakers is that both simply translate as I was in English 🙃. But in Spanish you have to decide: was it a completed action ✅ (estuve) or was it an ongoing background situation 🔁 (estaba)? 👉 Again: estuve = photo 📸, estaba = video 🎬.

Preterite (estuve) → a temporary state or location, seen as completed ✅: 

🏙 Estuve en Madrid el mes pasado → I was in Madrid last month (completed trip).

😟Estuve muy nerviosa antes de la entrevista de trabajo → I was very nervous before the job interview (state ended).

Imperfect (estaba) → a temporary state or location, seen as ongoing 🔁:

🏡 Estaba en casa cuando me llamaste → I was at home when you called me (background at that moment).

🥱 Estaba cansada, pero seguí trabajando → I was tired, but I kept working (state in progress).

We all know that the difference between ser and estar is always a bit tricky 🤯. If you want to review it and make everything clearer, check out our blog about ser vs estar , it will really help you!💡

3️⃣ Ser or Ir? The sneaky twins of Spanish past tense 

And here comes another Spanish curveball 🎢: the verbs ser (‘to be’) and ir (‘to go’) share the same forms in the preterite tense 🤯. This goes back to Latin, when their past tense forms fused. The conjugation is: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron. So yes, fui can mean I was or I went! 🤓

👉 Context tells you which verb is meant:

👰🏻‍♀️La boda fue preciosa → The wedding was beautiful (event, identity).

🎊¿Fuiste a la fiesta de Marta? → Did you go to Marta’s party?