Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Desciframos la combinación. - We deciphered the lock combination.

Hardcore Spanish (Spain)
/Solving an escape room with friends
/Desciframos la combinación.

Desciframos la combinación.

Desciframos la combinación.

We deciphered the lock combination.

Breakdown of Desciframos la combinación.

la combinación

the lock combination

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Spanish now

Questions & Answers about Desciframos la combinación.

What verb is desciframos from, and what person/number is it?

Desciframos comes from the verb descifrar.

In this sentence, it is first person plural: we.

So the basic pattern is:

yo descifro = I decipher
tú descifras = you decipher
él/ella descifra = he/she deciphers
nosotros/nosotras desciframos = we decipher
vosotros/vosotras descifráis = you all decipher (Spain)
ellos/ellas descifran = they decipher

So desciframos matches we.

Does desciframos mean we decipher or we deciphered?

It can mean either one, depending on context.

That is because for many -ar verbs, the nosotros form is the same in:

present indicative: we decipher
preterite: we deciphered

So:

Desciframos la combinación. = We decipher the combination.
Desciframos la combinación. = We deciphered the combination.

How do you know which one it is? Usually from context, for example:

Ahora desciframos la combinación. = Now we decipher / are deciphering the combination
Ayer desciframos la combinación. = Yesterday we deciphered the combination

Why doesn’t Spanish include nosotros here?

Because Spanish usually does not need subject pronouns when the verb already shows who is doing the action.

The ending -amos already tells you the subject is we.

So:

Desciframos la combinación.
Nosotros desciframos la combinación.

Both are correct, but the version without nosotros is more natural in many situations.

Spanish often adds nosotros only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

Nosotros desciframos la combinación, pero ellos no.
We deciphered the combination, but they didn’t.

Why is it la combinación?

Because combinación is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine singular article la.

la combinación
una combinación

A lot of nouns ending in -ción are feminine:

la información
la solución
la canción
la combinación

So the article must agree with the noun’s gender.

Why is the article la used at all? Why not just say Desciframos combinación?

In Spanish, it is usually more natural to include an article with a noun like this.

So la combinación sounds normal and complete, while Desciframos combinación sounds unnatural in standard Spanish.

Spanish uses articles more often than English does. Even when English might drop the, Spanish often keeps it.

Here, la combinación means the combination, referring to a specific combination already understood from context.

What exactly does combinación mean here?

In this sentence, combinación most naturally means something like a combination code, such as for a lock, safe, or puzzle.

Although combinación can also mean combination in a general sense, context often decides the exact nuance.

Examples:

la combinación de colores = the combination of colours
la combinación de una caja fuerte = the combination of a safe

So in Desciframos la combinación, it likely means a code/combination that has been worked out or cracked.

Why use descifrar here instead of a verb like resolver?

Descifrar specifically suggests decoding, cracking, or figuring out something hidden or encoded.

It is often used for things like:

codes
messages
symbols
handwriting
mysteries

By contrast, resolver is broader and means to solve:

resolver un problema = solve a problem
resolver un misterio = solve a mystery

So descifrar la combinación gives the idea of cracking or working out the combination, not just solving something in a general way.

Where is the stress in desciframos and combinación?

The stress is:

desciframos → de-ci-FRA-mos
combinación → com-bi-na-CIÓN

desciframos ends in -s, so by the normal stress rule, the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable.
combinación has a written accent: ó. That tells you the stressed syllable is -ción.

So if you say them naturally:

desciframos
combinación

Is descifrar a common everyday verb?

It is fairly common, but not as everyday as a very general verb like hacer, tener, or resolver.

You will often see descifrar in contexts involving:

codes
encrypted information
meanings that are hard to understand
handwriting
facial expressions or intentions

Examples:

No puedo descifrar su letra. = I can’t make out his/her handwriting.
Intentamos descifrar el mensaje. = We tried to decode the message.
Es difícil descifrar lo que piensa. = It’s hard to figure out what he/she thinks.

So yes, it is a useful and natural verb, especially when the idea is decoding or figuring something out.

Is there anything specifically Spanish (Spain) to notice in this sentence?

This particular sentence is standard Spanish and works in both Spain and Latin America.

The main Spain-specific thing to remember is the wider verb system around vosotros, although it does not appear here. For example:

vosotros descifráis = you all decipher (used in Spain)
ustedes descifran = you all decipher (used in Latin America and also formally in Spain)

But Desciframos la combinación itself is neutral and natural everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io