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El aire acondicionado estaba haciendo un ruido raro, así que lo apagué.

El aire acondicionado estaba haciendo un ruido raro, así que lo apagué.
The air conditioning was making a weird noise, so I turned it off.

Breakdown of El aire acondicionado estaba haciendo un ruido raro, así que lo apagué.

yo
I
estar
to be
así que
so
lo
it
un
a
hacer
to make
el ruido
the noise
apagar
to turn off
el aire acondicionado
the air conditioning
raro
weird
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Questions & Answers about El aire acondicionado estaba haciendo un ruido raro, así que lo apagué.

Why does the sentence use estaba haciendo instead of hizo or hizo?

Estaba haciendo is the imperfect progressive (imperfect of estar + gerund). It frames the noise as an ongoing background situation at that time: the A/C was making a weird noise (in progress), and then another action happened.

  • Estaba haciendo = ongoing in the past (background)
  • Hizo = a completed event: “it made (a noise)” as a single finished action (less natural here)
Could I say hacía un ruido raro instead of estaba haciendo un ruido raro? Is there a difference?

Yes, hacía un ruido raro is very common and often more natural. Both mean it “was making” a strange noise, but:

  • Hacía (imperfect) describes a habitual/continuous past situation without emphasizing “in progress.”
  • Estaba haciendo emphasizes the action as “in progress right then.” In many everyday contexts, they’re interchangeable.
Why is apagué in the preterite (simple past) instead of apagaba?

Because turning it off is a single completed action with a clear endpoint: “so I turned it off.”

  • lo apagué (preterite) = I turned it off (finished action)
  • lo apagaba (imperfect) would suggest “I was turning it off” (in progress) or “I used to turn it off” (habit), which doesn’t fit the cause → result idea as well.
What does así que mean, and how is it used?

Así que means so / therefore, introducing a result or conclusion. Structure: [cause], así que [result]. Here: Weird noise (cause), así que I turned it off (result). It’s very common in Latin America and Spain.

What is lo referring to, and why is it needed?

Lo is a direct object pronoun meaning it (masculine singular). It refers to el aire acondicionado. Spanish commonly uses object pronouns instead of repeating the noun:

  • …así que lo apagué = …so I turned it off You could say así que apagué el aire acondicionado, but using lo is more natural once the object is established.
Why is it lo apagué and not le apagué?

Because apagar takes a direct object (what you turned off), not an indirect object (to whom/for whom).

  • Direct object pronouns: lo / la / los / las
  • Indirect object pronouns: le / les So: lo apagué = I turned it (the A/C) off.
Why is aire acondicionado masculine? How can I tell?

The main noun is aire, which is masculine (el aire). The adjective acondicionado agrees with aire, so it’s masculine singular: acondicionado. That’s why later you also get lo (masculine).

What’s the function of un in un ruido raro? Could it be el ruido raro?

Un means a (an unspecified noise): “a weird noise.” You’d use el if the noise is specific/identified in context, like a particular known noise:

  • un ruido raro = some strange noise (new information)
  • el ruido raro = the strange noise (already identified/expected)
Why is the adjective after the noun in ruido raro?

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives commonly go after the noun.

  • un ruido raro = a strange/weird noise (neutral, most common) Putting it before can change nuance or sound more stylistic:
  • un raro ruido can feel more literary or can emphasize “how unusual” the noise is.
Is raro the best word here? What are common alternatives in Latin America?

Raro is very common and natural for “weird/strange.” Alternatives you’ll also hear:

  • extraño = strange (very common)
  • inusual = unusual (more formal)
  • como raro / medio raro = kind of weird (very colloquial)
Why is estaba used (imperfect) instead of estuvo (preterite)?

Estaba (imperfect) sets the scene: the A/C was in a state of making noise (ongoing). Estuvo (preterite) would frame it as a bounded, completed time period: “it was (for a while) making a noise,” which is possible but less typical here unless you’re emphasizing that the weird noise happened for a specific, finished interval.

Do I need the subject pronoun yo before apagué?

No. Spanish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person:

  • apagué clearly = I turned off You might add yo only for emphasis/contrast:
  • …así que yo lo apagué (no él) = …so I turned it off (not him).