Checking a washing machine | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Esta lavadora no arranca.

   This washing machine won't start.

   Esta

   this

   lavadora

   washing machine

   no

   not

   arranca

   starts

   More detail

   Esta is the feminine singular demonstrative meaning “this.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun lavadora; demonstratives change with gender and number: este is masculine singular, estas feminine plural, and estos masculine plural. lavadora means “washing machine.” It is a feminine noun, so it combines with la: la lavadora. A useful related noun is máquina, “machine,” but lavadora specifically names a machine for washing clothes. no places the clause in the negative. It comes before the verb: La lavadora no arranca means “The washing machine does not start.” arranca is the third-person singular present form of arrancar, “to start” here. The present form can describe a current failure or an expected failure, so with no and the fixed translation it is naturally rendered as “won’t start.” The same form can also mean “starts” in an affirmative sentence: La máquina arranca — “The machine starts.” Together, Esta lavadora identifies this feminine singular washing machine, and no arranca says that it does not start. The complete utterance is: “This washing machine won’t start.”

2. ¿Revisaste el enchufe y el botón de encendido?

   Did you check the plug and the power button?

   Revisaste

   did you check

   el enchufe

   the plug

   el botón

   the button

   de encendido

   for turning on; power

   More detail

   Revisaste means “you checked” here. It is the preterite form of revisar for tú: revisar → revisaste. The preterite presents the checking as a completed past action. Example: ¿Revisaste la puerta? — “Did you check the door?” el enchufe means “the plug.” Enchufe is a masculine singular noun, so it appears with el. Example: El enchufe está conectado. — “The plug is connected.” el botón means “the button.” Botón is also masculine singular and has an accent mark on the ó. Example: Pulsa el botón. — “Press the button.” de encendido identifies the button’s function: it is for turning the device on, so el botón de encendido means “the power button” or “the on button.” This de phrase specifies the button’s purpose; it does not mean that encendido is another object being checked. The structure is ¿Revisaste [noun] y [noun]?: “Did you check [noun] and [noun]?” Here, Revisaste supplies the completed action and the understood subject is tú; el enchufe and el botón de encendido are the two coordinated things being checked. Together, the sentence means: “Did you check the plug and the power button?”

3. El enchufe está conectado, pero no pasa nada.

   The plug is in, but nothing happens.

   enchufe

   plug

   conectado

   connected

   pasa

   happens

   nada

   nothing

   More detail

   enchufe means “plug” here. It is a masculine noun: el enchufe. Its plural is los enchufes. In this sentence, El enchufe is the subject. conectado means “connected.” It is the past participle of conectar, used here as an adjective with está (“is”). Because it describes masculine singular enchufe, it has the form conectado; with a feminine singular noun, the corresponding form is conectada, and with plural nouns, conectados or conectadas. The structure estar + participle/adjective describes a current state. pasa is the third-person singular present form of pasar (“to happen” or “to pass”). In no pasa nada, the verb means “happens.” The negative word no comes before the verb, and nada means “nothing.” This is a common Spanish pattern: no pasa nada = “nothing happens” or, in suitable situations, “it’s okay.” Here the fixed translation supports the literal situation: nothing is happening. nada is an indefinite pronoun meaning “nothing.” In this sentence it is the subject of pasa, placed after the verb. The combination no ... nada expresses negation; it is not an assertion that a particular object is missing. Together, El enchufe está conectado says that the plug is currently connected, while pero no pasa nada contrasts that state with the result that nothing happens. The whole utterance therefore means: “The plug is in, but nothing happens.”

4. Quizá la puerta no está bien cerrada.

   Maybe the door isn't closed properly.

   Quizá

   maybe

   la puerta

   the door

   no

   not

   está

   is

   bien

   properly

   cerrada

   closed

   More detail

   Quizá expresses uncertainty: “maybe” or “perhaps.” It usually introduces the speaker’s uncertain assessment. Example: Quizá llega tarde. — “Maybe he/she is arriving late.” la puerta means “the door.” puerta is a feminine singular noun, so the article is la. Example: La puerta está abierta. — “The door is open.” no is the standard negation word placed before the verb or verbal group. Here it negates está ... cerrada, so the sentence says that the door is not in the stated condition. está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used here for a current state or condition. The pattern estar + adjective is reusable: La ventana está limpia. — “The window is clean.” Estar is different from ser: estar presents a condition or state, while ser is commonly used for identity or more inherent characterization. bien is an adverb meaning “well” or, with a result/state description, “properly.” It modifies cerrada, producing the meaning “properly closed,” not merely “closed.” cerrada means “closed” here and is the feminine singular form of cerrado, related to cerrar (“to close”). Because it describes la puerta, it agrees with that noun in feminine singular form. The useful pattern is estar + cerrado/a: La ventana está cerrada. — “The window is closed.” Together, la puerta identifies the thing being assessed, no está negates its current state, and bien cerrada describes that state as properly closed. With Quizá expressing uncertainty, the whole utterance means: “Maybe the door isn’t closed properly.”

5. Las instrucciones dicen que debería hacer clic antes de arrancar.

   The instructions say it should click before it starts.

   instrucciones

   instructions

   dicen

   say

   debería

   should

   hacer clic

   click

   antes de

   before

   arrancar

   start

   More detail

   instrucciones means “instructions” here. It is the plural of instrucción; the ending -es marks the plural, while the noun is feminine. Example: La instrucción es clara. — “The instruction is clear.” dicen means “say” in the present tense. It is the third-person plural form of decir, used here because las instrucciones is plural. Compare dice for a singular subject: El manual dice la verdad. — “The manual tells the truth.” debería expresses “should” here. It is the third-person singular conditional form of deber, followed by an infinitive: debería + infinitive. The sentence’s omitted subject is understood according to the fixed translation as “it”; the form itself shows singular, but does not identify the referent. Example: Debería funcionar. — “It should work.” hacer clic is the reusable verb phrase “to click.” Hacer remains in the infinitive after debería, and clic names the click action. Example: Hay que hacer clic aquí. — “You have to click here.” antes de means “before” and introduces what happens earlier. Before a verb, it is followed by an infinitive: antes de + infinitive. Example: Lávate las manos antes de comer. — “Wash your hands before eating.” arrancar means “to start” or “to start up.” It is an infinitive here, following antes de. In this utterance, the fixed translation presents the subject of this action as “it,” without identifying that referent more specifically. Example: El programa tarda en arrancar. — “The program takes a while to start up.” Together, Las instrucciones dicen que introduces the content of what the instructions say. Debería hacer clic gives the recommended action, and antes de arrancar places that click before the starting action: “The instructions say it should click before it starts.”

6. Empuja la puerta una vez más y luego pulsa el botón de inicio.

   Push the door once more, then press start.

   Empuja

   push

   puerta

   door

   una vez más

   once more

   luego

   then

   pulsa

   press

   botón

   button

   inicio

   start

   More detail

   Empuja is the affirmative command form of empujar for tú singular: “push.” The command addresses one person informally. Compare empuja with empuje, the affirmative command for usted singular. Example: Empuja la puerta. — “Push the door.” puerta means “door.” Its plural is puertas; the article in the utterance, la, shows that this noun is feminine singular. Example: La puerta está abierta. — “The door is open.” una vez más means “once more” or “one more time.” vez is the noun for an occurrence or instance, and más adds the idea of an additional occurrence. Example: Léelo una vez más. — “Read it once more.” luego means “then” and orders the next action in time. It links the first command to the following command without replacing the first action. Example: Primero pulsa el botón y luego espera. — “First press the button and then wait.” pulsa is another affirmative tú singular command, from pulsar, meaning “press.” In this utterance it tells one informal listener to press something. A formal singular command is pulse for usted; the exact form pulsa is not the usted form. Example: Pulsa este botón. — “Press this button.” botón means “button.” Its plural is botones; the spelling changes from -ón to -ones in the plural. In el botón, the article marks this noun as masculine singular. Example: El botón está aquí. — “The button is here.” inicio means “start” or “beginning.” In el botón de inicio, de inicio identifies the button by its function or label: it is the start button. The preposition de connects the button with that identifying noun phrase. Example: Pulsa el botón de inicio. — “Press the start button.” Together, Empuja la puerta gives the first command, una vez más specifies that the push should happen one additional time, and luego orders the next action. pulsa el botón de inicio gives that second command. The complete meaning is: “Push the door once more, then press start.”

7. La puerta hizo clic y ahora funciona.

   The door clicked, and now it works.

   puerta

   door

   hizo clic

   clicked

   funciona

   works; functions

   More detail

   puerta means “door” here. Its base form is the feminine noun puerta; the article la agrees with it in singular feminine form. Example: La puerta está abierta. — “The door is open.” hizo clic is the expression “clicked.” hizo is the third-person singular preterite of hacer (hacer → hizo), and clic names the click sound or action. Together, hacer clic is a reusable expression for producing a click, while the preterite presents that click as a completed event. Example: El botón hizo clic. — “The button clicked.” funciona means “works” or “functions” here. It is the third-person singular present form of funcionar (funcionar → funciona). The present tense describes the door’s current operating condition. Example: El interruptor funciona. — “The switch works.” The sentence combines these parts in order: La puerta identifies the subject, hizo clic reports a completed click, and y ahora funciona adds the current result: “and now it works.” Thus the whole utterance is: “The door clicked, and now it works.”

8. A veces, unas comprobaciones sencillas resuelven el problema.

   Sometimes simple checks solve the problem.

   A veces

   Sometimes

   comprobaciones

   checks

   sencillas

   simple

   resuelven

   solve

   problema

   problem

   More detail

   A veces means “sometimes,” marking that the statement is true on some occasions, not all the time. Example: A veces trabajo desde casa. — “Sometimes I work from home.” comprobaciones is the plural of comprobación, meaning checks or verification steps. Here it is the subject of resuelven. Example: Las comprobaciones detectan el error. — “The checks detect the error.” sencillas means “simple.” It is the feminine plural form of sencillo because it describes comprobaciones, which is feminine and plural. Compare un método sencillo (“a simple method”) with unas pruebas sencillas (“some simple tests”). resuelven comes from resolver (“to solve” or “to resolve”). It is the present indicative, third-person plural form, matching the plural subject unas comprobaciones. The useful chain is resolver → resuelve (he/she/it solves) → resuelven (they solve). Example: Estas medidas resuelven el problema. — “These measures solve the problem.” problema means “problem.” In el problema, the noun is singular and masculine, so it takes the article el. The article refers to a particular problem in this utterance; it does not identify what that problem is. The words unas comprobaciones sencillas form the subject: “some simple checks.” Unas introduces plural checks without specifying which ones or asserting a particular numerical count. The subject comes before resuelven el problema, giving the structure “some simple checks solve the problem.” A veces applies to the whole statement, so the complete meaning is: “Sometimes simple checks solve the problem.”