A1. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I was hit in the face with the realization that I did not practice enough Spanish for this trip.
B1. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I realized that I did not practice enough Spanish for this trip.

A2. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I was hit in the face with the realization that I had not practiced enough Spanish for this trip.
B2. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I realized that I had not practiced enough Spanish for this trip.

Does the first set of phrases sound better than the second one?

Question

A1. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I was hit in the face with the realization that I did not practice enough Spanish for this trip.
B1. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I realized that I did not practice enough Spanish for this trip.

A2. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I was hit in the face with the realization that I had not practiced enough Spanish for this trip.
B2. The first time that I walked into a shop in Costa Rica, I realized that I had not practiced enough Spanish for this trip.

Does the first set of phrases sound better than the second one?

Answer

No 2.  It's better here to use the past perfect, rather than the simple past, as it allows you to convey the sequence of the events. The past perfect negative tense (had not) can be used to talk about something that happened before something else that is also in the past. For example, you visiting the shop in Costa Rica happened before this moment; and you not practising Spanish happened even further in the past before the trip. The simple past negative (did not) simply means it all happened in the past, without giving further information about the specific timing. Hope that helps!

Answer

Hi Tati. Second option works best for me

Answer

It depends on the context and what you want to convey:

Set A may be more engaging and expressive, making it suitable for storytelling or when you want to emphasize feelings.

Set B is clearer and more direct, which can be preferable in formal writing or situations where clarity is paramount.

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