there was there were

Hola Karen G.

Había is the most common way to say "there was" and "there were" in the past:

You may also come across other past forms of haber, depending on the timeframe:

• Hubo = there was/there were (referring to a completed event or occurrence)

• Ha habido = there has been/there have been

• Habrá = there will be

For your level, it's best to focus on había as the standard way to express "there was" and "there were" in descriptions and background information. Later lessons will introduce the other forms and explain when they are used.

I hope that helps!

Silvia

Hola John C.

Habían (with an accent on the í) is the 3rd person plural of the imperfect indicative of the verb haber.

For example:

By contrast, había is the 3rd person singular of the same tense:

It is also the impersonal form used to express the existence of something:

Notice that in this impersonal use, Spanish always uses the singular form había, even when the noun that follows is plural.

So:

• había = he/she had or there was / there were (impersonal)
• habían = they had

If you mean habian without the accent, then it is simply a spelling mistake. In standard Spanish, this form must always be written habían.

Finally, haber does not have an imperative form, so habían is never an imperative.

Saludos

Silvia