Once upon a time means long ago; it's the traditional opening line of English fairy tales. Adults also use it about a past that was very different from today, usually with irony or nostalgia.
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Once upon a time, there was/lived + someone…; Once upon a time, + past simple (things were different then)
- Once upon a time, there was a little fox who lived at the edge of a dark forest.
- Once upon a time, a phone was just for calling people, not for watching films.
- Once upon a time, our whole team fitted into one small office above a bakery.
What changed
First versionOnce upon a time last summer, I missed my flight because of a traffic jam.
RevisionOne day last summer, I missed my flight because of a traffic jam.
Once upon a time can look like a general way to say “once” or “one day”. But it's a fairy-tale opening, and next to last summer it sounds odd, like “long, long ago, last summer”. For a specific event, use one day or once.
Once without upon a time sounds neutral: I once lived in Berlin. With upon a time, the same idea becomes playful, as if you were telling a fairy tale about yourself: Once upon a time, I could stay up all night and still work the next day.
Your turn
My daughter's favourite story starts like this: ___, there lived a king who had three clever daughters.
Show the answer
Once upon a time — This is the opening of a fairy tale about someone who lived long ago, so Once upon a time. One day introduces a specific event: One day, the king got lost in the forest. It doesn't go with a description of who lived where.
Think of something in your town or your life that used to be different. Write a sentence with once upon a time: first say how things were in the past, then how they are now.
Once upon a time, our street had three bookshops, but now there's only a phone repair shop.
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