Log inSign up

Ayer fue un día horrible: en primer lugar, perdí el tren.

Ayer fue un día horrible: en primer lugar, perdí el tren.
Yesterday was a horrible day: first of all, I missed the train.
From Lesson 287:Organizing what you say (en primer lugar, por un lado)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Ayer fue un día horrible: en primer lugar, perdí el tren.

Why use fue instead of era if we are describing the day?
We normally use the imperfect tense (era) for descriptions in the past. However, because the speaker is summarizing yesterday as a single, completed block of time from start to finish, the preterite tense (fue) is the natural choice. It treats the entire day as a finished event rather than an ongoing background detail.
Can I just say primero instead of en primer lugar?
Yes, you could say primero, but en primer lugar is a helpful sequencing phrase that means "first of all" or "in the first place." Using connecting phrases like this makes your Spanish sound much more natural and structured when telling a story or listing a sequence of events.
I thought perder meant "to lose". Why is it translated as "missed" here?
When talking about missing public transport like a train, bus, or plane, perder is the correct verb. If you want to say you "miss" a person or a place emotionally, you cannot use perder; in Spain, you would use the phrase echar de menos.

Learn Ayer fue un día horrible: en primer lugar, perdí el tren and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →