Explaining a Device Fault and Requesting a Replacement | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Compré este dispositivo hace poco, pero la pantalla parpadea a veces.

   I bought this device recently, but the screen flickers sometimes.

   Compré

   I bought

   este

   this

   dispositivo

   device

   hace poco

   recently

   pero

   but

   pantalla

   screen

   parpadea

   flickers

   a veces

   sometimes

   More detail

   Compré means “I bought” here. It is the first-person singular preterite of comprar, used for a completed past event. The present form is compro (“I buy”); the preterite places this purchase before the current moment. este means “this” and is a masculine singular demonstrative. It agrees with the masculine singular noun dispositivo; the form for a feminine singular noun is esta, as in esta pantalla (“this screen”). dispositivo means “device.” It is a masculine singular noun here, as shown by este and the article el in other contexts. Example: El dispositivo funciona. — “The device works.” hace poco is a reusable time expression meaning “recently” or “a short time ago.” In this expression, hace is the third-person singular present form of hacer, but the whole expression refers to elapsed time before now: Lo compré hace poco. — “I bought it recently.” pero means “but.” It connects the completed purchase with a contrasting fact about the device’s current behavior. pantalla means “screen.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by la pantalla. Example: La pantalla está limpia. — “The screen is clean.” parpadea means “flickers” here. It is the third-person singular present form of parpadear, because the subject is la pantalla. The present describes the screen’s behavior as occurring now or repeatedly around the present: La luz parpadea. — “The light flickers.” a veces means “sometimes.” It marks occasional frequency rather than a continuous action. Example: La pantalla parpadea a veces. — “The screen sometimes flickers.” Together, Compré este dispositivo hace poco says “I bought this device recently.” pero la pantalla parpadea a veces contrasts that recent purchase with the screen’s occasional flickering. The complete meaning is: “I bought this device recently, but the screen flickers sometimes.”

2. Las fallas intermitentes pueden ser difíciles de reproducir, así que lo probaremos aquí.

   Intermittent faults can be hard to reproduce, so we will test it here.

   fallas

   faults

   intermitentes

   intermittent

   pueden ser

   can be

   difíciles

   difficult

   reproducir

   to reproduce

   así que

   so

   lo probaremos

   we will test it

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   fallas means “faults” here. Its base form is falla, and the plural fallas is used because the sentence presents more than one fault. A useful contrast is una falla / varias fallas (“one fault” / “several faults”). intermitentes describes something that occurs on and off rather than continuously. It is the plural form of intermitente, agreeing here with fallas. The same adjective can describe other plural things, for example señales intermitentes (“intermittent signals”). pueden ser combines pueden, the third-person plural present form of poder, with the infinitive ser (“to be”). With a plural subject, pueden means “can” or “may”; puede ser is the corresponding singular form. Example: Las fallas pueden aparecer hoy. — “The faults may appear today.” difíciles means “difficult” in this sentence. It is the plural form of difícil, agreeing with fallas; the singular form is difícil, while the plural is difíciles. Here the adjective is followed by de plus an infinitive: difícil de reproducir means “difficult to reproduce.” reproducir is the infinitive “to reproduce” in the technical sense of making the same fault happen again. Its base form is already the infinitive, and it does not show the person performing the action. Example: Intentamos reproducir el problema. — “We try to reproduce the problem.” así que introduces a consequence: “so” or “therefore.” It links the difficulty of reproducing the faults to the action that follows. It does not replace or exclude the preceding information. lo probaremos means “we will test it.” Probaremos is the first-person plural future form of probar: probar → probaremos (“to test” → “we will test”). Lo is a masculine-singular direct-object clitic, placed before this finite verb. In the fixed translation it corresponds to “it”; the supplied sentence does not uniquely name the noun represented by this clitic. Example: Lo probaremos mañana. — “We will test it tomorrow.” aquí means “here,” indicating the place where the testing will occur. Example: Lo probaremos aquí. — “We will test it here.” Together, Las fallas intermitentes is the plural subject, and pueden ser difíciles de reproducir says that making those on-and-off faults happen again may be difficult. Así que marks the result: lo probaremos aquí says that the speaker and others will test the relevant item or phenomenon here. The complete meaning is: “Intermittent faults can be hard to reproduce, so we will test it here.”

3. Grabé un video corto en el que se ve lo que ocurre durante el uso normal.

   I recorded a short video of it happening during normal use.

   Grabé

   I recorded

   video

   video

   corto

   short

   en el que

   in which

   se ve

   can be seen

   lo que

   what

   ocurre

   happens

   durante

   during

   uso

   use

   normal

   normal

   More detail

   Grabé is the first-person singular preterite of grabar (“to record”): grabo = “I record,” while grabé places the recording in the past. Example: Grabé una llamada. — “I recorded a call.” video is the noun “video.” In this sentence it is the antecedent of the relative phrase that follows. Spanish commonly uses the masculine article with this noun: un video. corto means “short” here and is the masculine singular form of corto, agreeing with video. The adjective changes for agreement: un video corto, but una grabación corta. This describes length, not duration of the recording process. en el que is a reusable relative pattern meaning “in which” or, here, “in it.” el agrees in masculine singular with video, and que introduces the relative clause. Example: El archivo en el que trabajo está aquí. — “The file I work in is here.” se ve means “can be seen” here. It uses ver (“to see”) with se to present what is visible without naming a viewer. The singular form ve is the present form used in this construction; it is not the past form of ver. Example: Se ve la pantalla. — “The screen can be seen.” lo que means “what” or “that which.” This neutral relative construction refers to an unspecified thing or content rather than agreeing with a masculine or feminine noun. Here it introduces the content visible in the video. ocurre means “happens” or “occurs” here. It is the third-person singular present form of ocurrir: ocurrir → ocurre. Example: No sé qué ocurre. — “I do not know what is happening.” durante means “during” and introduces the time or situation in which something happens. Example: durante la prueba means “during the test.” uso means “use” here. It is the noun from usar (“to use”), not the verb form in this sentence. el uso normal therefore means “normal use.” normal means “normal” here and describes uso. In this singular noun phrase, normal has the same visible form with masculine and feminine nouns: uso normal, situación normal; plural forms are usos normales and situaciones normales. Together, Grabé un video corto means “I recorded a short video.” en el que se ve lo que ocurre adds “in which what happens can be seen,” and durante el uso normal specifies that the events occur during normal use. The complete meaning is: “I recorded a short video of it happening during normal use.”

4. El video será útil si la falla no aparece durante la prueba.

   The video will help if the fault does not show up during the test.

   video

   video

   será

   will be

   útil

   useful

   si

   if

   falla

   fault

   aparece

   appears; shows up

   durante

   during

   prueba

   test

   More detail

   video is a masculine noun meaning “video.” In this sentence, el marks it as a specific video already identifiable in the context. The noun itself does not change for singular versus plural in this form; the plural is videos. será is the third-person singular future form of ser (“to be”): ser → será. It agrees with the singular subject el video. The future form presents the video’s usefulness as a later or expected result. Ser is used here for a quality or assessment; estar would normally describe a state or condition instead. útil means “useful.” It is an adjective and has the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns: un video útil, una herramienta útil. Its plural is útiles. si introduces a condition and means “if.” A common reusable pattern is si + condition, followed by a result clause: Te llamo si tengo tiempo means “I’ll call you if I have time.” Here, the result clause comes first (El video será útil), and the condition follows it. falla is the feminine noun “fault” or “failure” in this sentence. The article la marks it as feminine and singular. Do not treat this observed form as a verb here: the sentence refers to a fault, while the verb “to fail” is fallar. aparece is the third-person singular present form of aparecer (“to appear” or “to show up”): aparecer → aparece. It agrees with the singular noun la falla. With no, no aparece means “does not appear” or “does not show up.” In this conditional, the present form describes the condition, while será in the other clause expresses the expected result. durante is a preposition meaning “during” and introduces the time period in which something happens. It does not change according to the noun that follows it. prueba is the feminine noun “test” here, as shown by la prueba. The form is singular; its plural is pruebas. In other contexts, prueba can have related meanings such as “proof” or “trial,” but “test” is the intended meaning in this sentence. Together, la falla no aparece durante la prueba means “the fault does not show up during the test.” The conditional structure then gives the complete meaning: El video será útil si la falla no aparece durante la prueba — “The video will help if the fault does not show up during the test.”

5. Preferiría un reemplazo en lugar de una reparación.

   I would prefer a replacement instead of a repair.

   Preferiría

   would prefer

   reemplazo

   replacement

   en lugar de

   instead of

   reparación

   repair

   More detail

   Preferiría is the first-person singular conditional of preferir (“to prefer”): preferiría = “I would prefer.” The conditional presents the preference as a softened choice rather than a direct command. Compare prefiero (“I prefer”) with preferiría (“I would prefer”). Example: Preferiría esperar. — “I would prefer to wait.” reemplazo is a masculine singular noun meaning “replacement.” The article un agrees with it: un reemplazo. The related verb reemplazar means “to replace,” but reemplazo here names the substitute itself, not the act of replacing. Example: Necesitamos un reemplazo. — “We need a replacement.” en lugar de is a reusable prepositional construction meaning “instead of” or “in place of.” It introduces the alternative being compared with the first option. Example: Usó una copia en lugar del original. — “They used a copy instead of the original.” reparación is a feminine singular noun meaning “repair,” the act or result of repairing. The article una agrees with it: una reparación. It is related to the verb reparar (“to repair”), while reemplazo names the alternative chosen in this sentence. Example: La reparación tardará un día. — “The repair will take one day.” Together, Preferiría expresses the speaker’s preference, un reemplazo names the preferred option, and en lugar de una reparación identifies the option it is preferred over. The complete meaning is: “I would prefer a replacement instead of a repair.”

6. Podemos registrar esa preferencia, pero la inspección determinará el siguiente paso.

   We can record that preference, but the inspection decides the next step.

   Podemos

   we can

   registrar

   record

   esa

   that

   preferencia

   preference

   inspección

   inspection

   determinará

   will determine

   siguiente

   next

   paso

   step

   More detail

   Podemos is the present-tense first-person plural form of poder (“to be able to, can”). It means “we can” here, with the speaker including at least one other person. A useful pattern is podemos + infinitive: Podemos esperar. — “We can wait.” registrar is an infinitive meaning “to record” or “to register.” After podemos, the second verb stays in the infinitive: Podemos registrar la solicitud. — “We can record the request.” esa is the feminine singular demonstrative “that.” Its feminine singular form agrees with the noun it modifies, preferencia; Spanish distinguishes it from masculine singular ese and plural forms such as esas. The form identifies the preference as relatively distant or already identifiable in the situation; it does not itself state who owns it. preferencia is a feminine singular noun meaning “preference,” a choice or option someone favors. Its plural is preferencias: Explicó sus preferencias. — “They explained their preferences.” In this sentence, esa preferencia is the direct object of registrar. inspección is a feminine singular noun meaning “inspection.” It is the subject of the second clause, so the inspection is presented as the element that will determine what happens next. The related plural form is inspecciones. determinará is the third-person singular future indicative form of determinar (“to determine”). The ending -á marks a singular future form here; the subject is la inspección. Compare present determina (“determines/is determining”) with future determinará (“will determine”). siguiente is the singular adjective “next” or “following.” It modifies paso, so it appears in singular form. Unlike many Spanish adjectives, siguiente has the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns: el siguiente paso and la siguiente etapa. paso is a masculine singular noun meaning “step” here, as in the next step in a process. Its plural is pasos: Los próximos pasos son claros. — “The next steps are clear.” The first clause, Podemos registrar esa preferencia, states that the group can record the identified preference. Pero contrasts this available action with the second clause: la inspección determinará el siguiente paso, where the inspection will determine what the next step is. Together, the utterance means: “We can record that preference, but the inspection will determine the next step.”

7. Por favor, anote que el problema comenzó justo después de la instalación.

   Please note that the problem started right after setup.

   Por favor

   Please

   anote

   note

   problema

   problem

   comenzó

   started

   justo después de

   right after

   instalación

   setup

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite way to make a request: “please.” It softens the request but does not change who is being addressed. Example: Por favor, espere. — “Please wait.” anote is the affirmative command form of anotar (“to note” or “to write down”) for one usted listener. The exact form is therefore a formal or respectful singular command, not a command to tú or to ustedes. Example: Anote la dirección. — “Write down the address.” problema means “problem.” In el problema, the article el marks this noun as masculine singular; the noun itself is the item being described as starting. Example: El problema continúa. — “The problem continues.” comenzó is the preterite form of comenzar, “to begin/start,” for a completed past event. The ending here expresses third-person singular agreement with el problema. Compare comenzó (“started”) with present comienza (“starts/is starting”). Example: La reunión comenzó temprano. — “The meeting started early.” justo después de means “right after” and places one event immediately after another. Here it links the problem’s starting point to la instalación; it does not mean that the problem started instead of the installation. instalación is a feminine singular noun meaning “installation” or, in this context, “setup.” The form comes from instalar (“to install”) and names the completed installation/setup as the reference event. Example: La instalación terminó ayer. — “The installation finished yesterday.” The structure anote que ... means “note that ...”: the command asks the listener to record the content of the clause introduced by que. Inside that clause, el problema comenzó says that the problem started, and justo después de la instalación places that start immediately after setup. Together, the utterance means: “Please note that the problem started right after setup.”

8. Lo añadiré al registro de servicio.

   I will add that to the service record.

   Lo

   it; that

   añadiré

   I will add

   al

   to the

   registro

   record

   servicio

   service

   More detail

   Lo is a direct-object clitic. Here it refers to the information being added, matching the translation “that”; Spanish lo can refer to a masculine singular noun or to a previously mentioned fact or piece of information. Its exact antecedent is not specified more narrowly here. Compare la for a feminine singular direct object, as in la solicitud. añadiré means “I will add.” Its base form is añadir; the ending -é marks the simple future, first-person singular: añadiré = “I will add.” The pronoun subject is included in the verb form, so an explicit yo is unnecessary. Example: Mañana añadiré la información. — “Tomorrow I will add the information.” al is the obligatory contraction of a + el, meaning “to the” before a masculine singular noun. It is not a separate article or a quantity marker. Before a feminine singular noun, use a la, as in a la cuenta (“to the account”). registro is a masculine singular noun meaning “record” here. Its plural is registros. The gender belongs to the noun, which is why the phrase uses el in the contraction al; gender is grammatical agreement, not a claim about the record’s real-world characteristics. servicio is a masculine singular noun meaning “service.” In registro de servicio, de servicio identifies the type or purpose of the record: a “service record.” The preposition de commonly links a noun with the category, purpose, or relation that specifies it. Example: un contrato de servicio — “a service contract.” Together, Lo añadiré gives “I will add that,” and al registro de servicio specifies the destination: “to the service record.” The complete utterance is therefore “I will add that to the service record.”