How to Say ‘I was about to pull out my wallet’ in Mexican Spanish
Ya iba a sacar la cartera
yah EE-bah ah sah-KAR lah kar-TEH-rah
[yah EE-bah ah sah-KAR lah kar-TEH-rah]
💬 Usage Tip: iba a + verb means "was about to" or "was going to". Swap the verb: ya iba a irme "I was about to leave".
Phrase Breakdown
Ya iba a sacar
yah EE-bah ah sah-KAR
I was already about to take out
'Iba a' plus an infinitive means 'was going to'. The vowels link together: 'ya-I-ba-a-sa-CAR'.
Ya iba a sacar el coche.
I was about to take the car out.
Words in this phrase
Ya
[yah]
Already
'Ya' is an adverb expressing that something has occurred already or yet.
Ya terminé mis tareas.
I have already finished my homework.
iba
[EE-bah]
I was going
Imperfect of 'ir'; 'iba a' means 'was about to'.
Iba a llamarte.
I was going to call you.
a
[ah]
to
Preposition used before a person as the object of introduction.
Voy a a la mesa de empresas internacionales.
I'm going to the table of international companies.
sacar
[sah-KAR]
to take out
Infinitive meaning to pull out or remove.
Voy a sacar dinero.
I'm going to take out money.
la cartera
lah kar-TEH-rah
my wallet
In Mexico 'cartera' usually means 'wallet'. Keep the article with the noun: 'la car-TE-ra'.
Olvidé la cartera en casa.
I left my wallet at home.
Words in this phrase
la
[lah]
the
Feminine singular definite article used before a feminine noun.
La frase «La cultura de trabajo» empieza con «La».
The phrase “The work culture” begins with “La.”
cartera
[kar-TEH-rah]
wallet
Noun for a wallet or purse.
Perdí mi cartera.
I lost my wallet.
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