Telling Stories in Spanish: Sharing Past Experiences Abroad
Learn to narrate past experiences in Spanish using the preterite and imperfect, with time markers and useful storytelling phrases for travel and cultural encounters.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
When you want to tell someone about a trip or a time you lived in another country, you need more than isolated past-tense verbs. You need to set the scene, sequence events, and react to what happened. This lesson teaches you how to say 'When I was in...' and continue a story naturally in Latin American Spanish. You will practice the contrast between the preterite (completed actions) and the imperfect (background and ongoing situations), and you will learn fixed phrases that keep a story moving. The focus is on speaking about your own experiences, not on asking others about theirs.
By the end, you can…
- start a story about a past trip or stay abroad using 'Cuando estuve en...' or 'Cuando vivía en...'.
- use the preterite and imperfect together to describe what happened and what was going on.
- sequence events with time markers like 'primero', 'luego', and 'al final'.
- add reactions and evaluations to make a story sound natural.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Cuando estuve en México, aprendí muchísimo.
When I was in Mexico, I learned a lot.
KWAHN-doh ehs-TOO-beh ehn MEH-hee-koh, ah-prehn-DEE moo-CHEE-see-moh
Use 'estuve' for a specific, completed stay. Common in Latin American Spanish.
Cuando vivía en Argentina, iba al mercado todos los días.
When I was living in Argentina, I used to go to the market every day.
KWAHN-doh vee-VEE-ah ehn ar-hen-TEE-nah, EE-bah ahl mer-KAH-doh TOH-dohs lohs DEE-ahs
Use the imperfect 'vivía' and 'iba' for ongoing past situations and habits.
Primero llegué a la ciudad y luego busqué un lugar para quedarme.
First I arrived in the city and then I looked for a place to stay.
PREE-meh-roh yeh-GHEH ah lah see-oo-DAHD ee LWEH-goh boos-KEH oon loo-GAR pah-rah keh-DAR-meh
Sequencing with 'primero' and 'luego' keeps a story organized.
Lo mejor fue cuando probé la comida típica.
The best part was when I tried the typical food.
loh meh-HOR fweh KWAHN-doh proh-BEH lah koh-MEE-dah TEE-pee-kah
'Lo mejor fue cuando...' introduces a highlight. 'Probar' is regular in the preterite: probé.
Al final, no quería regresar a casa.
In the end, I didn't want to go back home.
ahl fee-NAHL, noh keh-REE-ah reh-greh-SAR ah KAH-sah
'Al final' closes a story. The imperfect 'quería' expresses an emotional state, not a completed action.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern for sharing an experience is: time marker + preterite for the main event, with imperfect for background. Example: 'Cuando estuve en Perú, un día caminaba por el centro y vi un festival.' Here 'caminaba' sets the scene, and 'vi' is the event that interrupts it. Another pattern is 'Lo más interesante fue que...' followed by a preterite or imperfect, depending on whether you present it as a completed fact or a description: 'Lo más interesante fue que la gente me trató muy bien.'
When to use it
Use the preterite when you present an action as completed and relevant to the story: 'llegué', 'probé', 'conocí', 'fui'. Use the imperfect to describe what was happening, what used to happen, or how things were: 'vivía', 'iba', 'era', 'había'. For example, 'Cuando vivía en Chile, siempre tomaba té por la tarde' describes a habit. If you say 'Cuando viví en Chile, tomé té una vez', you present a single completed event. Both are correct; the choice changes the storytelling focus.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Cómo te fue en tu viaje a Guatemala?
How was your trip to Guatemala?KOH-moh teh fweh ehn too BYAH-heh ah gwah-teh-MAH-lahMuy bien. Cuando estuve en Antigua, caminaba por las calles y de repente encontré un mercado lleno de colores.
Very well. When I was in Antigua, I was walking through the streets and suddenly I found a market full of colors.mwee byehn. KWAHN-doh ehs-TOO-beh ehn ahn-TEE-gwah, kah-mee-NAH-bah pohr lahs KAH-yehs ee deh reh-PEHN-teh ehn-kohn-TREH oon mer-KAH-doh YEH-noh deh koh-LOH-rehs¡Qué interesante! ¿Y qué hiciste después?
How interesting! And what did you do afterward?keh een-teh-reh-SAHN-teh ee keh ee-SEES-teh dehs-PWEHSCompré unas artesanías y al final me quedé hablando con una señora que me contó sobre su comunidad.
I bought some handicrafts and in the end I stayed talking with a woman who told me about her community.kohm-PREH OO-nahs ar-teh-sah-NEE-ahs ee ahl fee-NAHL meh keh-DEH ah-BLAHN-doh kohn OO-nah seh-NYOH-rah keh meh kohn-TOH SOH-breh soo koh-moo-nee-DAHDA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American varieties, 'acá' is common for 'here' and 'recién' can mean 'just' or 'only just', but usage varies by country. In Spain, 'vosotros' and the present perfect for recent past ('he viajado') are more frequent, while Latin American Spanish often prefers the preterite ('viajé'). Choose forms that match the region you are speaking about, and avoid assuming one national norm applies everywhere.
One thing to watch for
Using only the preterite for every past action, as in 'Cuando viví en México, fui al mercado todos los días'.
Try this instead: Use the imperfect for repeated or ongoing past actions: 'Cuando vivía en México, iba al mercado todos los días'. The preterite 'viví' suggests a completed period, and 'fui' suggests a single completed visit, which changes the meaning.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'When I was in Colombia, I tried arepas' using a completed stay and a completed action?
Show a sample answer
Cuando estuve en Colombia, probé las arepas.
'Estuve' presents the stay as a completed period, and 'probé' presents the action as a single completed event. You could also say 'Cuando estaba en Colombia, probé las arepas' if you want to emphasize the ongoing stay, but 'estuve' is more common for a trip.
2Which form completes this sentence correctly: 'Cuando ____ (vivir) en Ecuador, ____ (ir) a la playa cada fin de semana'?
Show a sample answer
vivía, iba
Both verbs describe ongoing past situations and habits, so the imperfect is used: 'vivía' and 'iba'. If you said 'viví, fui', you would present them as completed events, which does not fit 'cada fin de semana'.
3How do you introduce the best part of a story in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Lo mejor fue cuando...
This phrase introduces a highlight and is followed by a preterite or imperfect depending on the focus. For example, 'Lo mejor fue cuando conocí a mi mejor amigo' uses the preterite for a completed event. Other valid options include 'Lo más interesante fue que...'.
To share experiences abroad, start with 'Cuando estuve en...' or 'Cuando vivía en...', use the imperfect for background and habits, the preterite for completed events, and link your story with 'primero', 'luego', and 'al final'.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Spanish into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr