In this video, Juan from "Español con Juan" welcomes viewers to his YouTube channel, emphasizing that it's a place to learn Spanish through Spanish-language videos. He reminds viewers that he's been creating a series of videos focused on practicing the past tenses in Spanish, encouraging them to watch the entire playlist from start to finish as a fantastic way to improve their language skills. Today's video continues this theme, with Juan sharing a personal story from his childhood to illustrate the use of past tenses, specifically addressing the common dilemma of when to use "era" (imperfect) versus "fue" (indefinite/preterite). He poses a question to the audience: which tense would he use to describe his favorite subject – "Mi asignatura favorita era" or "Mi asignatura favorita fue"? He urges viewers to pay close attention not just to what he says, but *how* he says it, noting the past tenses and expressions he employs throughout his narrative. Juan then dives into his story, prompted by finding old French textbooks while cleaning his house. He reminisces about studying French as a child, explaining that unlike today's students who learn English, his generation in Spain studied French in school. He admits that French was his favorite subject, even though he wasn't particularly good at it or any other subject, preferring humanities like literature and history. He recounts studying French for ten years, from age 10 to 18. A memorable incident occurred when he was around 16 or 17, walking in his hometown of Granada. He encountered a group of French tourists who asked him, in French, if he spoke their language. Excited to demonstrate his skills, he replied "oui, un petit peu." However, when the tourists began speaking quickly, he understood absolutely nothing, even after asking them to repeat themselves three times. Assuming they were asking for directions to the Alhambra, a common tourist query in Granada, he pointed them in that direction. It was only about ten minutes later, after they had left, that Juan realized his mistake: they had actually been asking for a cheap hotel. This realization left him embarrassed and sad, as he had studied French for nearly a decade yet couldn't hold a basic conversation. He concluded that his French classes hadn't effectively taught him to speak the language. He explains that the problem was their Spanish teacher always spoke in Spanish, never in French, focusing instead on translations, written compositions, and grammar exercises, including memorizing irregular verbs. Despite not learning to speak French fluently in school, Juan still cherishes good memories of the subject. He acknowledges that the grammar and verb conjugation he learned, particularly the irregular verbs, proved useful later on. He also credits his teacher's encouragement to read French books, which he did, albeit slowly, with instilling in him a love for French and languages in general. He believes that, in the end, studying French was worthwhile, and expresses optimism that language teaching methods in schools have improved since his time, becoming more dynamic and effective.