Iba a estudiar español por la noche; sin embargo, me sentí muy cansado.

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Breakdown of Iba a estudiar español por la noche; sin embargo, me sentí muy cansado.

• muy: very
• la noche: the night
• español: Spanish

Questions & Answers about Iba a estudiar español por la noche; sin embargo, me sentí muy cansado.

Why is it iba a estudiar and not something like estudiaría or estudiaré?

Iba a estudiar literally means “I was going to study” and is used for an intention or plan in the past, especially one that did not end up happening (or at least was interrupted).

• Iba a estudiar español por la noche = I was going to study Spanish at night (but then something changed).
• Estudiaría español (conditional) = I would study Spanish (often hypothetical; depends on some condition).
• Estudiaré español (future) = I will study Spanish (future plan, not past).

So iba a + infinitive is the natural way to talk about a plan or intention you had at some point in the past.

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Why do we say iba a estudiar, with a, instead of just iba estudiar?

In Spanish, the construction ir a + infinitive is a fixed pattern that can mean:

1. Near future (in the present or past):

   • Voy a estudiar = I’m going to study.
   • Iba a estudiar = I was going to study.

2. Movement toward an action:

   • Fui a estudiar = I went to study.

In both uses, the preposition a is required.
You can’t drop it: ✗ iba estudiar is incorrect. It must be ✓ iba a estudiar.

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Why is it iba (imperfect) and not fui (preterite) in iba a estudiar?