Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Si los manejas con descuido, podrías quebrar toda la vajilla y perder mucho dinero. - If you handle them carelessly, you could break all the tableware and lose a lot of money.

In Spanish conditionals, when discussing a likely or possible future event, the if‐clause often takes the present indicative. This sentence follows the pattern “Si + present indicative, + conditional” to express that if you handle the items carelessly now, a possible consequence (breaking the dishes and losing money) may occur later.

What role does the pronoun los play in this sentence, and what might it refer to?

The pronoun los is a direct object pronoun referring to a plural, masculine group of items mentioned or understood from context. Here, it likely points to the objects that need to be handled carefully—the overall context suggests they could be the items that include the dinnerware. Its specific referent depends on the surrounding details provided in previous discourse.

Why is the phrase con descuido used rather than an adverbial ending like “-ly” in English (e.g., “carelessly”)?

Spanish often expresses the manner in which an action is done using prepositional phrases. In this case, con descuido literally means “with carelessness.” Rather than forming an adverb with an “-ly” ending (which is typical in English), Spanish frequently uses the structure “con + noun” to describe how an action is performed.

What does quebrar mean in this context, and is it synonymous with romper?

Quebrar means “to break” or “to shatter.” While romper is a common verb for “to break,” quebrar is widely used in Latin America and can add the nuance of damaging something fragile—like dinnerware. Although both verbs refer to breaking something, quebrar might imply a sudden shattering or a more complete form of breakage in this context.

What does the word vajilla mean here?

Vajilla refers to tableware or dinnerware. It encompasses all the dishes, plates, cups, and sometimes even utensils used for serving and eating food. The phrase “toda la vajilla” emphasizes that all of these items may be at risk if they are mishandled.

Why is the conditional form podrías used in the result clause?

The conditional form podrías (meaning “you could” or “might”) is used to indicate a possible outcome that is dependent on the condition stated in the if‐clause. It suggests that if the items are handled carelessly, there is the potential (but not certainty) to break the dishes and lose a lot of money. This choice of tense softens the statement by expressing possibility rather than inevitability.