Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Las pinzas sujetan bien las toallas cuando hace viento. - The clothespins hold the towels well when it’s windy.

In this sentence, las pinzas means clothespins (also called clothes pegs). Many regions add de ropa: pinzas de ropa or pinzas para ropa. Tweezers are also las pinzas, but context (holding towels on a clothesline) makes “clothespins” the only sensible reading.

Regional alternatives you might hear:

Argentina/Uruguay: broches (de ropa)
Mexico and much of Latin America: pinzas (de ropa); in some areas also ganchos de ropa, but note gancho often means “clothes hanger”
Chile: palillos (de ropa) and pinzas
Venezuela/Caribbean/Central America: a mix of pinzas, ganchos (de ropa), prendedores

When in doubt, pinzas de ropa is widely understood across Latin America.

Why is it “las pinzas” (plural, with “the”) and not just “pinzas” or “la pinza”?

Spanish often uses the definite article with a plural to make a generic statement about a class: Las pinzas sujetan bien… ≈ “Clothespins hold … well.” Also, you typically use more than one clothespin per towel, so plural sounds natural.

One specific item: La pinza sujeta bien la toalla.
Some unspecified ones: Unas pinzas sujetan bien… (less generic)
Dropping the article (Pinzas sujetan…) is not idiomatic in normal prose.

How do I know the subject is “las pinzas” and not “las toallas”?

Verb agreement. Sujetan is 3rd person plural, matching las pinzas (plural). Las toallas is the direct object. If you make the subject singular, the verb changes:

La pinza sujeta bien las toallas. If you made las toallas the subject, it would mean “The towels hold…,” which doesn’t fit the meaning.

Why is it “bien” and not “bueno/buena”?

Bien is an adverb and modifies the verb sujetan (“hold well”). Bueno/buena/buen are adjectives and modify nouns:

Correct: Las pinzas sujetan bien.
Correct: Las pinzas son buenas.
Incorrect: Las pinzas sujetan bueno.

Could I say “sujetan fuerte” or “sujetan fuertemente”?

Yes, with nuance:

sujetan fuerte (las toallas) is common and informal; many adjectives (like fuerte) are used adverbially in speech.
sujetan las toallas con fuerza is neutral.
sujetan fuertemente las toallas is more formal. Bien means “well/securely,” not necessarily “with great force,” though it often implies “securely enough.”

Why “cuando hace viento”? What about “hay viento” or “está ventoso”?

Spanish has several impersonal weather expressions:

hace viento (very common) = “it’s windy”
hay viento / hay mucho viento (also common) = “there is (a lot of) wind”
está ventoso exists but is less common in everyday speech; you’ll hear it more in forecasts or formal registers. All are acceptable, but cuando hace (mucho) viento is the most neutral everyday choice.

Can I use “si” instead of “cuando” here?

You can, but it changes the nuance:

cuando hace viento = “when/whenever it’s windy” (time-based, habitual)
si hace viento = “if it’s windy” (conditional; maybe it will be, maybe not) Choose based on whether you mean a general truth (cuando) or a condition (si).

What’s the difference between “cuando hace viento” and “cuando haga viento”?

Indicative vs. subjunctive after cuando:

cuando hace viento (indicative) = habitual/general fact: “when it’s windy (as a rule)”
cuando haga viento (present subjunctive) = future/uncertain or pending event: “when it gets windy / when it is windy (in the future)” Examples:
Cuando hace viento, las pinzas sujetan bien las toallas.
Cuando haga viento, usa más pinzas.

Why isn’t there an “a” before “las toallas”? I thought Spanish used “a” with direct objects.

The “personal a” is used with direct objects that are people (or personified animals), not things. Las toallas are inanimate, so no a:

Correct: Las pinzas sujetan bien las toallas. With people: Las pinzas no lastiman a nadie. You would use a for a different complement here, e.g. attachment: sujetan las toallas a la cuerda (de tender) = “fasten the towels to the clothesline.”

Can I move “bien” or the object around? For example, “Las pinzas sujetan las toallas bien”?

Las pinzas sujetan bien las toallas is the most natural.
Las pinzas sujetan las toallas bien is possible but less typical. With object pronouns:
Las sujetan bien (“They hold them well”) is natural. Avoid doubling the object unless you front it:
Fronted + pronoun: Las toallas, las sujetan bien.
Not acceptable: Las pinzas las sujetan bien las toallas.

How else could I say this to describe the result on the towels?

Use quedar or estar with the adjective sujetas:

Las toallas quedan bien sujetas cuando hace viento.
Las toallas están bien sujetas cuando hace viento. Here sujetas agrees with toallas (feminine plural) and describes their state after being fastened.

Is “toalla” always the right word? I’ve heard “toallón” and “toallita.”

Toalla is the general word for “towel.”

toallón (esp. Argentina/Uruguay): large bath towel
toallita: small towel/washcloth; also “wet wipe” in some contexts Avoid trapo unless you mean a rag.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

h is silent: hace = AH-se
In most of Latin America, z in pinzas sounds like s: PEEN-sas
j in sujetan sounds like a harsh English “h”: su-HE-tan
v in viento sounds like b: BYEN-to
ll in toallas is pronounced like English “y” in many regions (yeísmo): to-A-yas

Does “cuando” need an accent here?

No. As a conjunction (“when”), it’s cuando without an accent: cuando hace viento. Use cuándo (with accent) only in direct/indirect questions or exclamations:

¿Cuándo hace viento?
No sé cuándo hace viento.

If I replace “las toallas” with a pronoun, which one do I use and where does it go?

Use las (feminine plural) and place it before the conjugated verb, or attach it to an infinitive/gerund/affirmative command:

Before: Las pinzas las sujetan bien.
Infinitive: Las pinzas pueden sujetarlas bien.
Gerund: Las pinzas están sujetándolas bien.
Affirmative command: Sujétenlas bien.

Are there synonyms for “sujetar” I could use?

Yes, with slight differences:

sostener = to support/hold up: Las pinzas sostienen la toalla.
agarrar (very common in Latin America) = to grab/grip: Las pinzas agarran bien la toalla.
prender = to fasten/clip: Las pinzas prenden la toalla.
fijar = to fix/attach firmly: Fijan la toalla a la cuerda.
abrochar = to fasten with a clasp/button; less typical for clothespins unless they have a clasp.

How would I say “when it’s very windy”?

Use mucho, not muy, with viento (a noun):

cuando hay mucho viento
cuando hace mucho viento Not: cuando hace muy viento (incorrect).