De repente empezó a llover y ni siquiera tenía paraguas.

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Breakdown of De repente empezó a llover y ni siquiera tenía paraguas.

• tener: to have
• a: to
• y: and

Questions & Answers about De repente empezó a llover y ni siquiera tenía paraguas.

Why are there two different past tenses: empezó and tenía?

Spanish uses the preterite for completed events and the imperfect for background states. Empezó (preterite) marks the sudden, completed start of the rain. Tenía (imperfect) describes an ongoing state in the background (not having an umbrella at that time). If you said tuvo, it would sound like “got/obtained an umbrella (at some point),” which isn’t the meaning here.

Could I say empezaba a llover instead of empezó a llover?

You could, but it changes the meaning. Empezaba a llover paints the scene or suggests something was about to begin (in progress or repeated), not a sudden, punctual start. With de repente, the punctual preterite empezó is the natural choice.

Why is there an a after empezó?

Because the pattern is empezar a + infinitive (and similarly comenzar a + infinitive). So: empezó a llover, empezó a correr, etc. Omitting a is incorrect here.

Could I use other verbs for “began to rain,” like se puso a llover or comenzó a llover?

Yes:

• Se puso a llover is very idiomatic and slightly more colloquial/neutral.
• Comenzó a llover is fine and a touch more formal.
• Se echó a llover exists but is less common. All three convey a sudden start.