How to Say ‘Was just about to’ in Mexican Spanish
Apenas iba a
ah-PEH-nahs EE-bah ah
[ah-PEH-nahs EE-bah ah]
💬 Usage Tip: [Iba a] is a very common way to say [was going to / was about to]. You can swap in another verb easily: [iba a llamarte], [iba a ir].
Phrase Breakdown
Apenas
[ah-PEH-nahs]
barely / just
Here 'apenas' means 'just' or 'was only just about to,' softening the statement.
En “Apenas iba a”, 'Apenas' hace sonar la idea más casual y juguetona.
In “I was just about to,” 'Apenas' makes the idea sound more casual and playful.
iba
[EE-bah]
was going
Imperfect of 'ir.' Here it means 'was going to' or 'was about to.'
“Apenas iba a” usa 'iba' para hablar de una intención en ese momento.
“I was just about to” uses 'iba' to talk about an intention at that moment.
a
[ah]
to
Preposition used after 'ir' to form 'ir a + infinitive,' similar to 'going to.'
En “Apenas iba a”, la 'a' conecta con la acción que viene después.
In “I was just about to,” 'a' connects to the action that comes next.
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