Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ayer había unas larvas debajo de la hoja. - Yesterday there were some larvae under the leaf.

Ayer había unas larvas debajo de la hoja.

Yesterday there were some larvae under the leaf.

Breakdown of Ayer había unas larvas debajo de la hoja.

a, an (masculine)

haber

to be (there is / there are)

Questions & Answers about Ayer había unas larvas debajo de la hoja.

Why is it había and not habían if there are multiple larvae?

This is a very common trap! When haber is used to mean "there is" or "there are" (the impersonal form), it always stays singular. Just like you use hay for both singular and plural in the present tense, you must use the singular había in the past tense, even when the object is plural like unas larvas.

Since this sentence starts with ayer (yesterday), shouldn't we use the preterite hubo instead of the imperfect había?

Not necessarily. While ayer often triggers the preterite for completed actions, when haber means "there was" or "there were" to describe a setting or a state, you use the imperfect había. You generally only use hubo for specific, completed events that took place, like an accident or a concert.

Could I use bajo instead of debajo de here?

Yes, but debajo de is much more common and natural for physical locations. Debajo de specifically emphasizes that something is physically underneath an object. Bajo is often reserved for more abstract or figurative situations, such as being under pressure (bajo presión) or under a spell.

Can hoja mean anything other than a tree leaf?