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How to Say ‘I was there three years.’ in Mexican Spanish

Estuve ahí tres años.

ehs-TOO-beh ah-EE trehs AH-nyohs

[ehs-TOO-beh ah-EE trehs AH-nyohs]

Phrase Breakdown

Estuve ahí

ehs-TOO-beh ah-EE

I was there

'Estuve' is the past tense of 'estar' (to be) for a finished period. Stress 'es-TU-ve' and 'a-Í'.

Example

Estuve ahí ayer.

I was there yesterday.

Words in this phrase

Estuve

[ehs-TOO-beh]

I was / I stayed

Preterite of 'estar' for 'I'; used for a completed period of time somewhere.

Example

Estuve en la oficina todo el día.

I was at the office all day.

ahí

[ah-EE]

there

Adverb pointing to a place near the listener or visible nearby.

Example

El letrero está ahí.

The sign is there.

tres años.

trehs AH-nyohs

three years.

'Años' has ñ, which sounds like 'ny' in 'canyon'. Don't confuse it with 'anos'.

Example

Tengo tres años aquí.

I've been here three years.

Words in this phrase

tres

[trehs]

three

The number following two.

Example

Tres manzanas cayeron del árbol.

Three apples fell from the tree.

años

[AH-nyohs]

years

Plural of 'año'; used to talk about age.

Example

Mi hermano tiene diez años.

My brother is ten years old.

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