"de joven" and "cuando eran jóvenes" are both used for "when you were young". When should "de" be used and when should "cuando era/eran/eras" be used? Thanks.
De versus Cuando era/eras/eran
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RosemaryKwiziq community member
De versus Cuando era/eras/eran
This question relates to:Spanish lesson "Conjugate tener in the imperfect tense in Spanish (El Pretérito Imperfecto)"
Asked 11 months ago
Hola Rosemary
You can use both. The difference is that "De joven, de pequeño..." are set phrases and are more colloquial. When we use "cuando era..." you are using it more literally "when I was...".
We also say sometimes: "de mayor..." meaning "when I'm older...", for example:
De mayor quiero ser bombero.
When I'm older I want to be a firefighter.
I hope this clarifies it.
Saludos
Inma
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