Breakdown of Yo me iba a meter el cono en la boca, pero me manché la camisa.
yo
I
pero
but
en
in / on / at
la camisa
the shirt
ir
to go
a
to
me
to me / me (direct object)
manchar
to stain
meter
to put inside (meter en)
el cono
the cone
la boca
the mouth
Questions & Answers about Yo me iba a meter el cono en la boca, pero me manché la camisa.
Why use the imperfect iba instead of the preterite fui here?
The structure ir a plus an infinitive uses the imperfect (iba a meter) to express an intention you had in the past ("I was going to put"), which is usually unfulfilled or interrupted by another event. If you used the preterite (fui a meter), it would mean you actually went somewhere and completed the action ("I went to put").
Why does it say la boca and la camisa instead of mi boca and mi camisa?
In Spanish, when talking about body parts or items of clothing you are wearing, you generally use the definite article (el or la) rather than possessive pronouns (mi, tu, etc.). To show whose mouth or shirt it is, Spanish relies on the pronoun placed earlier in the phrase—in this case, me (me iba a meter, me manché).
Could the first me go at the end of meter instead?
Yes, you could perfectly say Yo iba a meterme el cono en la boca. When you have a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive (like iba a meter), pronouns can either go before the conjugated verb (me iba a meter) or be attached directly to the end of the infinitive (iba a meterme).
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