The time it was

era / eran

it was (the time)· tap the form for the whole table

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Why it works

Clock time uses ser.

In the past it is always the imperfect: eran las nueve.

It is plural with every hour except one: era la una.

Why not estaban

estaban las nueve

(says nothing in Spanish)

Says nothing — the clock is not in a state. The time simply IS: eran las nueve.

In a full sentence

Eran las ocho y yo estaba en el metro.
It was eight o’clock and I was on the metro.
Past clock time uses imperfect ser.
Era la una y él estaba en la oficina.
It was one o’clock and he was at the office.
Use era for one o’clock in the past.
Eran las once cuando yo estaba de guardia.
It was eleven o’clock when I was on call.
Use eran for plural hours in the past.
Era la una cuando ella estaba en el supermercado.
It was one o’clock when she was at the supermarket.
Clock time in the past always uses imperfect ser.

5 gaps to fill, then 3 sentences from the English · say or type each one