Talk About Life Changes in Spanish: Move, Job, Feelings

Saying what changed and when

To talk about a completed move, use the preterite form. The recording «Me mudé a una ciudad nueva el año pasado.» means 'I moved to a new city last year.' Notice that the verb is me mudé, and the time phrase el año pasado comes at the end. For a job change, Spanish uses cambiar de trabajo, not cambiar trabajo. The recording «Cambié de trabajo hace tres meses.» means 'I changed jobs three months ago.' The phrase hace tres meses means 'three months ago.' For these tasks, keep the recorded times and places. They are sample details rather than facts about you.

Describing how you felt at first

When you describe an ongoing feeling in the past, Spanish often uses the imperfect tense. The recording «Al principio estaba muy nervioso.» means 'At first I was very nervous.' The word estaba is the imperfect form of estar, and it describes how you felt during that early period. If you are female, you would say nerviosa instead of nervioso. The phrase al principio means 'at first' and marks the early stage; the phrase alone does not prove when the feeling ended. You can also talk about missing people or places. The recording «Extrañaba mi ciudad y a mis amigos.» means 'I missed my city and my friends.' The verb extrañaba is also in the imperfect, and it shows a feeling that continued over time. Notice the personal a before mis amigos, because they are people. In Spain, people often say echaba de menos instead, but extrañar is common in Latin America.

Asking about someone else's change

To ask another person about a past move, you can use a question like the one in «¿Es verdad que te mudaste a otra ciudad?», which means 'Is it true that you moved to another city?' This is a friendly way to check information you heard. The answer in «Sí, me mudé a Medellín hace seis meses. Al principio estaba muy nerviosa.» means 'Yes, I moved to Medellín six months ago. At first I was very nervous.' Notice that the speaker uses the same preterite me mudé and the imperfect estaba. To ask about missing someone, use the question in «¿Y extrañabas tu ciudad?», which means 'And did you miss your city?' The answer in «Mucho. Extrañaba a mi familia, pero ahora me siento muy bien aquí.» means 'A lot. I missed my family, but now I feel very good here.' This reply uses extrañaba in the imperfect and then contrasts it with the present me siento. When you practice, listen for the difference between the completed move and the ongoing feeling.

Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.

Checking available voices…

Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.

Common questions