Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi hermano decía que la llanura era aburrida, pero cambió de opinión cuando vio el atardecer desde la carretera. - My brother used to say that the plain was boring, but he changed his mind when he saw the sunset from the road.

Mi hermano decía que la llanura era aburrida, pero cambió de opinión cuando vio el atardecer desde la carretera.

My brother used to say that the plain was boring, but he changed his mind when he saw the sunset from the road.

Breakdown of Mi hermano decía que la llanura era aburrida, pero cambió de opinión cuando vio el atardecer desde la carretera.

Questions & Answers about Mi hermano decía que la llanura era aburrida, pero cambió de opinión cuando vio el atardecer desde la carretera.

Why are decía and era in the imperfect tense?

Because they describe a past state/background, not a single completed event.

decía = he used to say / he was saying
era aburrida = it was boring

In this sentence, the brother’s opinion is presented as an ongoing view he had in the past. Spanish often uses the imperfect for:

habitual actions
repeated statements
descriptions
background information

So Mi hermano decía que la llanura era aburrida sounds like My brother used to say that the plain was boring or My brother would say that the plain was boring.

Why are cambió and vio in the preterite?

Because those are completed actions that move the story forward.

cambió de opinión = he changed his mind
vio el atardecer = he saw the sunset

The preterite is used for specific events seen as finished. In this sentence, the structure is very natural:

imperfect for the old situation/background: decía, era
preterite for the key events/change: cambió, vio

This contrast is one of the most common storytelling patterns in Spanish.