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Autrefois, il y avait un roi dans ce château.

Autrefois, il y avait un roi dans ce château.
In the past, there was a king in this castle.
From Lesson 131:Past impersonal verbs (il y avait, il fallait)·French

Questions & Answers about Autrefois, il y avait un roi dans ce château.

Why do we use il y avait here instead of the Passé Composé?
Il y avait is the Imparfait (imperfect) form of il y a (there is / there are). We use the Imparfait here because it describes a past state or setting (how things used to be in the castle), rather than a specific, completed action.
Does il y avait change if I want to say there were kings plural?
No, it stays exactly the same! Just like il y a translates to both 'there is' and 'there are', the past form il y avait covers both 'there was' and 'there were'. To say 'there were kings', you simply say il y avait des rois.
What does autrefois mean, and is it a hint to use the Imparfait?
Autrefois means 'in the past', 'formerly', or 'in the old days'. Because it refers to a broad, vague time period or the way things used to be, it is a very common 'trigger' word that tells you to use the Imparfait.
Why is it ce château and not cet château?
Ce means 'this' or 'that' for masculine singular nouns. Since château is masculine and starts with a consonant, we use ce. You only need to switch to cet when a masculine singular noun starts with a vowel or a silent H (like cet oiseau or cet homme).

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