Ajusta el fre.

Ajusta is the informal singular imperative of the verb ajustar, meaning to adjust.

So Ajusta el fre. is a command addressed to one person you speak to as tu:

• (Tu) ajusta el fre. = Adjust the brake.

Because ajustar is the infinitive: to adjust.

In this sentence, you are giving an order, so Catalan uses the imperative form:

• ajustar = to adjust
• ajusta = adjust! (said to one person informally)

English often uses the same basic verb form for commands, but Catalan changes the form.

It is addressed to one person in an informal way.

Catalan distinguishes between:

• tu forms = informal singular
• vostè forms = formal singular
• vosaltres forms = informal plural
• vostès forms = formal plural

So:

• Ajusta el fre. = adjust the brake! (to one person, informal)

Some related forms:

• Ajusti el fre. = formal singular
• Ajusteu el fre. = informal plural
• Ajustin el fre. = formal plural

El fre means the brake.

Here:

• el = the (masculine singular definite article)
• fre = brake

So el fre is a normal noun phrase meaning the brake.

Catalan usually uses the definite article more regularly than English in many everyday expressions.

So Ajusta el fre sounds natural in Catalan, just as English normally says Adjust the brake.

Leaving out the article would usually sound incomplete or unnatural here.

It is masculine, which is why it takes el:

• el fre

If it were feminine, it would normally take la.

A helpful approximate pronunciation is:

ah-ZHOOS-tuh el FRAY

A few details:

• j in ajusta is pronounced like the sound in French je or the s in measure in many Central Catalan accents.
• u is like oo in food.
• fre is roughly like fray, though the exact vowel depends on accent.

If you want a more Catalan-leaning approximation:

• ajusta ≈ uh-ZHOOS-tuh
• el fre ≈ el FRÉ

No. The subject is understood rather than expressed.

Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form. So:

• Ajusta el fre. already implies
• (Tu) ajusta el fre.

This is very normal in Catalan.

Yes. Fre can refer to a brake in a general mechanical sense, and also more figuratively to something that slows or restrains.

For example, in broader usage it can mean:

• a brake on a bicycle, car, machine, etc.
• a restraint or limiting factor in a more abstract sense

But in Ajusta el fre, the most likely meaning is the ordinary physical brake.

Yes, it is a perfectly natural short command, especially in instructions or practical situations.

It could fit contexts like:

• fixing a bicycle
• repairing machinery
• giving step-by-step instructions
• telling someone to adjust a control mechanism

Catalan often uses short imperatives like this in manuals, conversations, and spoken instructions.

The negative command is:

No ajustis el fre.

This is important because Catalan negative commands do not use the same form as the affirmative imperative.

Compare:

• Ajusta el fre. = Adjust the brake.
• No ajustis el fre. = Don’t adjust the brake.

So in the negative, Catalan uses the present subjunctive form.

Yes, but it would mean something different in structure.

• Ajusta el fre. = a direct command: Adjust the brake.
• ajustar el fre = the infinitive phrase: to adjust the brake / adjusting the brake

So ajustar el fre is not a normal standalone command in ordinary speech. It would fit better in places like:

• titles
• instructions headings
• manuals
• lists of tasks

For example:

• Com ajustar el fre = How to adjust the brake

One useful thing to remember is that ajustar often corresponds closely to English adjust, but you should still pay attention to context.

It can mean:

• adjust
• fit
• adapt
• set properly

So in a mechanical sentence like this, adjust is the best match, but in other contexts Catalan may use ajustar slightly differently from English.