Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Habíamos guardado las entradas dentro de la cartera, pero fuera estaba lloviendo. - We had put the tickets inside the wallet, but outside it was raining.

Habíamos guardado (pluperfect) marks an action completed before another past reference point. Here, storing the tickets happened earlier; the rain is the background at that later moment.
Guardamos (preterite) would simply state a past action, without highlighting that it was already done by the time it was raining. Both can be correct, but the pluperfect adds the idea of “we had already put them away.”

Shouldn’t the participle agree with las entradas? Why not guardadas?

With haber (compound tenses), the past participle is invariable: habíamos guardado (never guardados/guardadas).
Agreement appears with verbs like tener when the participle behaves like an adjective: Las teníamos guardadas en la cartera (here guardadas agrees with las entradas).

Could I say Hemos guardado instead of Habíamos guardado?

Hemos guardado is present perfect (linked to now). It doesn’t match the rest of the sentence, which is set in the past (estaba lloviendo).
You could say: Hemos guardado las entradas en la cartera, pero fuera está lloviendo if you’re speaking about the present moment.

Is dentro de la cartera different from en la cartera?

Both are fine. En la cartera is the default “in the wallet.”
Dentro de la cartera explicitly emphasizes “inside,” and pairs nicely with the contrast fuera (“outside”) later in the sentence.

What does cartera mean in Spain?

In Spain, cartera most commonly means “wallet.”
Bolso is “handbag/purse,” monedero is “coin purse.” In many Latin American countries, cartera can mean “handbag,” and billetera is “wallet.” Context and region matter.

Why entradas and not billetes or boletos?

In Spain:
- entradas = tickets for events/venues (cinema, concert, museum).
- billetes = transport tickets and banknotes.
boletos/tiquetes are more Latin American variants for “tickets.”

Is fuera here the adverb “outside,” or the past subjunctive of ser/ir?

Here it’s the adverb fuera = “outside.”
The verb form fuera (past subjunctive of ser/ir) would require a clause (e.g., aunque fuera). In this sentence, fuera stands alone and just indicates location.

Can I say afuera instead of fuera?

In Spain, fuera is the standard adverb for “outside.” Afuera is far more common in much of Latin America.
Spaniards will understand afuera, but fuera sounds more natural in Peninsular Spanish.

Is Fuera estaba lloviendo the only word order, or can I say Estaba lloviendo fuera?

Both are correct: Fuera estaba lloviendo and Estaba lloviendo fuera.
Placing fuera first gives it a bit more emphasis (“Outside, it was raining…”).

What’s the nuance between estaba lloviendo and llovía?

Estaba lloviendo (imperfect progressive) highlights an ongoing process at that moment.
Llovía (simple imperfect) is a general background description. Either works; the progressive adds a touch of immediacy.

Why use pero and not aunque?

Pero adds plain contrast: one thing is true, but so is another.
Aunque introduces concession (“although”). You could reframe as: Aunque estaba lloviendo fuera, habíamos guardado las entradas… (indicative = known fact). With uncertainty or irrelevance, you’d use the subjunctive: Aunque estuviera lloviendo…

Is the comma before pero required?

Yes, in Spanish a comma normally precedes pero when it connects two clauses: …, pero …

Could I use poner or meter instead of guardar?

Guardar implies “put away/keep (safe).”
Poner just means “to put/place,” and meter is “to put/insert (into something).”
All are understandable, but guardar best conveys the idea of safekeeping tickets.

Can I move dentro de la cartera elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. Options include:
- Habíamos guardado las entradas en la cartera, pero…
- Dentro de la cartera habíamos guardado las entradas, pero…
Word order can shift for focus/emphasis without changing the core meaning.

Why the definite articles las entradas and la cartera? Could it be unas entradas or nuestra cartera?

Spanish often uses the definite article for contextually known items: las entradas (the specific tickets) and la cartera (the wallet already identifiable in context).
Unas entradas would present them as non-specific/new. Nuestra/mi cartera adds explicit possession if needed; otherwise la cartera is fine when the owner is obvious.

Could I use object pronouns here?

Very natural: Las habíamos guardado dentro de la cartera, pero fuera estaba lloviendo.
Using a stressed pronoun like en ella for the wallet (…dentro de ella) is possible but less common unless needed to avoid repetition or ambiguity.