Learn Spanish (Latin America): La gente iba a corear, pero el parque estaba cerrado. - The people were going to chant, but the park was closed.

La gente iba a corear, pero el parque estaba cerrado.

The people were going to chant, but the park was closed.

Breakdown of La gente iba a corear, pero el parque estaba cerrado.

pero

but

estar

to be (location/state)

Questions & Answers about La gente iba a corear, pero el parque estaba cerrado.

Why is it iba (singular) when "people" is plural in English?

In Spanish, la gente (the people) is a singular, collective noun. Because it is grammatically singular, it takes the third-person singular verb iba, not the plural iban.

What is the root of the verb corear?

Corear comes from the noun coro (choir or chorus). While it can mean "to sing in a choir," in everyday contexts like protests, concerts, or sports events, it means "to chant" or "to shout in unison."

Why use the imperfect iba a instead of the preterite fue a here?

The imperfect iba a + infinitive is used to express a past intention or a plan that was in progress—equivalent to "were going to" in English. If you used fue a corear, it would mean they actually "went to chant" and completed the trip. Here, the park being closed interrupted their plan.

Why is it estaba cerrado instead of era cerrado?

We use estar with a past participle (cerrado) to describe a physical state or the result of an action. The park was currently in a closed state. If you used ser (era cerrado), it would describe a passive action (e.g., "was being closed" by someone), which doesn't fit the background description here.