Cuando pasó la tormenta, salimos y todo olía a tierra mojada.

When the storm passed, we went outside and everything smelled of wet earth.

Breakdown of Cuando pasó la tormenta, salimos y todo olía a tierra mojada.

• nosotros: we
• y: and
• cuando: when
• mojado: wet

Questions & Answers about Cuando pasó la tormenta, salimos y todo olía a tierra mojada.

Why is pasó in the preterite tense instead of imperfect as in pasaba?

Because the storm ending is a completed, specific event. The preterite pasó signals that the action happened at a definite time and finished. Using the imperfect pasaba would describe the storm as an ongoing or habitual action, without emphasizing its completion.

Can we start the sentence with Después de que pasó la tormenta instead of Cuando pasó la tormenta?

Yes, you can. Después de que pasó la tormenta means “after the storm passed.” However, using cuando + preterite is more concise and common to convey “as soon as” the storm ended, directly linking the two actions without an extra expression.

Why do we use salimos instead of nos fuimos?

Both verbs can translate as “we left,” but salir focuses on exiting an enclosed space (like a house), while irse emphasizes departing from a place. Here, salimos is more natural because it highlights going outside to smell the wet earth.

Why is there no subject pronoun nosotros before salimos?

Spanish often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already indicates the subject. Salimos clearly shows “we,” so adding nosotros would be redundant.