Breakdown of Él se tuerce la muñeca cuando limpia sin guantes.
él
he
cuando
when
limpiar
to clean
sin
without
el guante
the glove
la muñeca
the wrist
torcerse
to twist
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Questions & Answers about Él se tuerce la muñeca cuando limpia sin guantes.
Why is there a se before the verb tuerce?
Because torcerse is a reflexive (pronominal) verb when you twist part of your own body. The se marks that the action falls back on the subject (he twists himself the wrist). In English we just say “he twists his wrist,” but Spanish uses se to show it’s reflexive.
Why is it tuerce and not torce?
Torcer is an O→UE stem-changing verb in the present tense. The “o” in the stem changes to “ue” in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. So for él/ella/usted you get tuerce (tuerz-).
Why do we say la muñeca instead of su muñeca?
When talking about body parts (and possessions closely tied to the subject), Spanish normally uses the definite article (el/la) rather than a possessive adjective. The reflexive pronoun (se) already makes it clear whose wrist it is.
Can I drop él at the beginning?
Yes. Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already indicates the subject. Él is included only for emphasis or clarity, not out of necessity.
Why is the sentence in the present tense? Doesn’t it describe something that happened?
Here it describes a habitual or typical scenario: whenever he cleans without gloves, he twists his wrist. Spanish uses the present tense to talk about general truths or repeated actions. If you wanted to recount a single past incident, you’d use the preterite:
(Él) se torció la muñeca cuando limpió sin guantes.
Why is there no article before guantes after sin?
The preposition sin (“without”) generally takes a bare noun when indicating absence in general. Sin guantes means “without gloves” in any case. If you meant specific gloves you might say sin los guantes.
What does muñeca mean? I thought it was “doll.”
Muñeca can mean either “wrist” or “doll.” Context tells you which: since this sentence is about cleaning and injuring, muñeca obviously refers to the wrist joint.
Could I say al limpiar sin guantes instead of cuando limpia sin guantes?
Yes. Al + infinitive expresses “upon doing something,” so al limpiar sin guantes = “when/while cleaning without gloves.” It’s a common, slightly more formal alternative to cuando limpia sin guantes.