Desbloqueamos el candado de combinación.

Desbloqueamos comes from the verb desbloquear, which means to unlock, to unblock, or to unjam, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means we unlocked.

The form desbloqueamos can also mean we unlock in some contexts, because the present tense and the preterite have the same form for nosotros verbs ending in -ar. Usually, context tells you which meaning is intended.

This happens because of how regular -ar verbs are conjugated in Spanish.

For desbloquear:

• Present: nosotros desbloqueamos = we unlock
• Preterite: nosotros desbloqueamos = we unlocked

They are spelled the same.

So Spanish relies on context, time expressions, or the situation to make the meaning clear. For example:

• Cada vez que se atasca, desbloqueamos el candado. = Every time it jams, we unlock the lock.
• Ayer desbloqueamos el candado. = Yesterday we unlocked the lock.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• Desbloqueamos already tells you the subject is nosotros = we
• So Nosotros desbloqueamos el candado de combinación is possible, but usually unnecessary

Spanish is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns are often omitted unless needed for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

The infinitive, or base form, is desbloquear.

You can break it down like this:

• des- = a prefix that often suggests undoing or reversing
• bloquear = to block or to lock up
• desbloquear = to unlock or to unblock

So the word is built in a way that may feel familiar to an English speaker because of words like block and unblock.

Spanish often uses the definite article more naturally than English does.

• el candado = the lock
• In English, you might say we unlocked the combination lock
• In Spanish, including el is normal and expected here

Without the article, candado would usually sound incomplete in a sentence like this unless it were part of a special structure.

Yes, candado usually refers to a padlock.

That is an important detail, because Spanish has other words for related ideas:

• candado = padlock
• cerradura = lock mechanism or keyhole/lock in a door
• llave = key

So el candado de combinación is specifically a combination padlock.

Spanish often uses de + noun where English uses a noun as an adjective.

So:

• candado de combinación = literally lock of combination
• natural English: combination lock

This de structure is very common in Spanish:

• mesa de madera = wooden table
• zapatos de cuero = leather shoes
• cepillo de dientes = toothbrush (literally brush of teeth)

So de combinación describes what kind of lock it is.

Yes, but it means something different.

• Desbloqueamos el candado de combinación = We unlocked the combination lock
• Desbloqueamos la combinación del candado would suggest something like We unlocked/unblocked the lock’s combination, which is not the normal idea if you simply mean opening the lock

So the original sentence is the natural way to refer to the object itself: a combination lock.

It can be correct, but depending on context, native speakers might also say:

• abrimos el candado = we opened the lock
• quitamos el candado = we removed the padlock
• desbloqueamos el candado = we unlocked the padlock

Desbloquear emphasizes the act of unlocking or removing the locked state.
Abrir emphasizes opening it.

So desbloqueamos is understandable and correct, but in everyday speech, abrimos el candado may often sound more common.

Because it refers to the single code or number sequence used to open the lock.

• candado de combinación = combination lock
• combinación here means the lock’s combination/code

Spanish uses the singular because it is describing the type of lock, not multiple combinations.

Yes. It is written combinación, with an accent on the ó.

That accent shows the stressed syllable:
com-bi-na-CIÓN

Without the accent, it would not follow normal Spanish spelling rules and would be considered incorrect.

The normal word order is:

• Desbloqueamos = verb
• el candado de combinación = direct object

So the structure is:

Verb + object

This is very common in Spanish.

You could change the order for emphasis, but the basic version is the most neutral and natural:

• Desbloqueamos el candado de combinación.

For emphasis, you might hear something like:

• El candado de combinación lo desbloqueamos nosotros.

But that is much less neutral and would only be used in a special context.

Because it is the thing receiving the action of the verb desbloqueamos.

Ask yourself: What did we unlock?
Answer: el candado de combinación

That makes it the direct object.

You can also replace it with a direct object pronoun:

• Lo desbloqueamos. = We unlocked it.

Here, lo stands for el candado.