Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Dejé el carro en el garaje porque había un embotellamiento enorme en la avenida principal. - I left the car in the garage because there was a huge traffic jam on the main avenue.

Spanish uses the preterite for actions that are completed at a specific point in the past. By saying dejé, you signal that the act of leaving the car in the garage is finished.

Dejo (present) would mean you’re leaving it right now.
Dejaba (imperfect) would imply a habitual or ongoing action in the past (e.g., “I used to leave the car…”).

Why is había used (imperfect) instead of hubo (preterite) for “there was”?

The imperfect había describes a background or ongoing situation in the past—here, the traffic jam was an existing condition. If you used hubo, you’d be treating the jam as a single, completed event rather than a continuing circumstance.

Why use carro here? Can we say coche or auto?

All three mean car, but regional preferences differ:

Carro is very common in Mexico, Central America and parts of South America.
Auto is also used across Latin America.
Coche is most typical in Spain (and some Southern Cone areas).
Choose based on the country or region you’re in.

What’s the difference between garaje, cochera, and estacionamiento?

Garaje often means a private or covered parking spot (attached to a house or building).
Cochera is a synonym in countries like Argentina or Chile.
Estacionamiento (or parqueadero in some nations) usually refers to a public parking lot or structure.
Here, garaje implies a private or reserved space.

Why does the sentence use en el garaje and not al garaje or a la cochera?

En indicates location (where the car ended up).
A would stress movement toward the garage.
If you wanted to say “I took the car to the garage,” you’d use llevar
- al garaje. But since it’s about leaving it there, en is correct.

What does embotellamiento mean literally, and are there other ways to say “traffic jam”?

Literally it evokes cars packed like bottles in a container. Synonyms vary by region:

Atasco (Spain)
Trancón (Colombia, Venezuela)
Taco (Argentina, Uruguay)
Taponamiento (Mexico)
Use whichever term is standard where you are.

Why is enorme placed after embotellamiento? Can the adjective come before?

Descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun in Spanish: embotellamiento enorme. You can move it before (enorme embotellamiento) for style or emphasis, but post-nominal is the neutral, everyday order.

Why does Spanish use the definite article la avenida principal, while in English we say main avenue without the?

Spanish generally requires definite articles before nouns and modifiers, especially with known places. In English, street names often drop the (e.g., Main Avenue), but Spanish says la avenida principal as a rule of grammar.

Could we start the sentence with Como había un embotellamiento enorme… instead of Porque…?

Yes. Leading with Como (meaning “Since” or “As”) is common in written or formal Spanish:
Como había un embotellamiento enorme en la avenida principal, dejé el carro en el garaje.
Como here introduces the cause at the beginning, whereas porque usually connects clauses mid-sentence.

Can we replace porque with ya que or puesto que in this sentence?

Absolutely. Both ya que and puesto que also mean “because” and are slightly more formal than porque:
Dejé el carro en el garaje, ya que había un embotellamiento enorme en la avenida principal.
They function the same way but can sound more polished in writing.