New here? This is lesson 175 of a free 238-lesson Spanish course.
I didn't realize in Spanish
Justin has a story he keeps retelling at Café Laurel: his very first day in the neighborhood, and the woman in the wool coat he completely misread.
Today you learn the Spanish of looking back: at the time I was, I didn't realize, it turned out to be, looking back I think.
By the end, you'll retell a memory with its real turn.
By the end of this lesson
Retell a past moment and say what you didn't realize at the time.
- En ese momento, yo estaba ___At the time, I was ___
- No me di cuenta de que ___I didn't realize ___
- Resultó ser ___It turned out to be ___
- Viendo hacia atrás, creo que ___Looking back, I think ___
- ¿Cómo te sentiste cuando ___?How did you feel when ___?
- Al principio me daba nervios ___I was nervous about ___ at first
Scene — the wool coat story
Evening at Café Laurel. The rush is over, Michael is wiping down the counter, and Amanda has come down for a coffee.
Yako, on his two chairs, wants to hear the wool coat story again. Justin has told it three times already, and it gets better each time.
Learn — looking back
Six chunks that carry a memory from start to finish: how you were, what you missed, what it turned out to be, and how you see it now.
One of them is a question, so someone else can pull the story out of you.
En ese momento, yo estaba ___
At the time, I was ___
When to use it: Use this to set the scene of a memory before telling what happened.
Estaba is the imperfect, for how things were over a period back then.
Say it: Estaba is es-TAH-bah, soft on both ends.
No me di cuenta de que ___
I didn't realize ___
When to use it: Say this when you only understood something much later.
Darse cuenta means to realize; the me makes it about you.
Say it: Cuenta is Kwen-tah, one quick syllable up front.
Resultó ser ___
It turned out to be ___
When to use it: Use this to reveal what someone or something really was.
Resultó comes from resultar, to turn out; ser names what it was.
Viendo hacia atrás, creo que ___
Looking back, I think ___
When to use it: Use this to give today's opinion about a past event.
Viendo hacia atrás literally means seeing toward behind.
¿Cómo te sentiste cuando ___?
How did you feel when ___?
When to use it: Ask this to hear someone's feelings about one past moment.
Sentiste is preterite, because the moment is finished.
Al principio me daba nervios ___
I was nervous about ___ at first
When to use it: Say this about something that made you nervous before but not now.
Daba is imperfect; the nerves lasted for a while.
Story — the woman who owned the café
The wool coat story, one more time. Watch how Justin sets the scene, admits what he missed, and lands the reveal.
The highlighted lines are the chunks you just learned. Turn on Show English if the story runs ahead of you.
- Evening light. Yako settles deeper into his two chairs.
YakoCuéntame otra vez lo del abrigo de lana.Tell me the wool coat story again.
JustinBueno. En ese momento, yo estaba recién llegado.Well. At the time, I was newly arrived.
MichaelY entró una señora con un abrigo de lana gris.And a woman came in with a gray wool coat.- JustinNo me di cuenta de que ella trabajaba aquí.I didn't realize she worked here.
Amanda¿Cómo te sentiste cuando la viste?How did you feel when you saw her?- JustinAl principio me daba nervios su mirada seria.I was nervous about her serious look at first.
- Yako¿Y quién era?And who was she?
- JustinResultó ser la mamá de Michael.It turned out to be Michael's mom.
- Michael drops his rag, delighted.
- Michael¡Mi mamá! Yo te lo dije ese día.My mom! I told you that day.
- JustinViendo hacia atrás, creo que ella decidió ayudarme.Looking back, I think she decided to help me.
- AmandaYo me acuerdo de ese día. Una vez, yo también la confundí.I remember that day. One time, I mixed her up too.
- YakoPues la señora del abrigo tiene buen gusto para los cafés.Well, the woman in the coat has good taste in cafés.
Practice — the turn in the memory
Nine exercises, one memory. You'll listen, match, fill, fix, and swap your way through the wool coat story.
Start easy with the listening, and finish by judging a true-or-false claim about resultó ser.
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What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Match the pairs
Spanish
No me di cuenta de que ___Drop the English hereResultó ser ___Drop the English hereViendo hacia atrás, creo que ___Drop the English hereMe acuerdo de ___Drop the English hereEnglish
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
Una vez, ___
What do you say?
What do you say?
You start the story of your first week in the neighborhood, describing how you were back then: totally new.
Pick the reply
Amanda says:
Pick the reply
¿Cómo te sentiste cuando llegaste a la colonia?
How did you feel when you arrived in the neighborhood?
And you reply with:
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
How did you feel when ___?
¿Cómo ____ sentiste cuando ___?
Swap the word
Swap the word
You just said you realized she worked here. Now flip it: you didn't realize.
____ di cuenta de que ___
Find the mistake
Find the mistake
True or false?
True or false?
Resultó ser is what you say when something turns out to be something.
Say it — retell it yourself
Now you're Justin, and the table wants the wool coat story from you. Tap the microphone when it's your turn.
Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the model line. Your recording stays on your device.
- YakoCuéntame lo del abrigo de lana.Tell me about the wool coat.
- Justin (you)Start by saying how you were at the time: brand new to the neighborhood.
Start by saying how you were at the time: brand new to the neighborhood.
En ese momento, yo estaba ___
At the time, I was ___
0 of 5 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Spanish | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| En ese momento, yo estaba ___ | At the time, I was ___ | |
| No me di cuenta de que ___ | I didn't realize ___ | |
| Resultó ser ___ | It turned out to be ___ | |
| Viendo hacia atrás, creo que ___ | Looking back, I think ___ | |
| ¿Cómo te sentiste cuando ___? | How did you feel when ___? | |
| Al principio me daba nervios ___ | I was nervous about ___ at first |
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Want to keep these look-back chunks handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and retell your memories anywhere.
A daily round with the Yak Cards keeps your no me di cuenta ready for the next story.
Open Yak Cards