Modelamos la arcilla en el torno.

Modelamos is the first person plural form of modelar, so it means we model / we shape.

For a regular -ar verb, the nosotros ending in the present is -amos:

• yo modelo
• tú modelas
• él/ella modela
• nosotros modelamos

So the verb ending itself already tells you the subject is we.

Yes. With regular -ar verbs, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite:

• modelamos = we shape / we are shaping
• modelamos = we shaped

So context tells you which one it is.

For example:

• Hoy modelamos la arcilla. = present
• Ayer modelamos la arcilla. = past

Out of context, learners often take it as present first, but both are grammatically possible.

Because Spanish often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Since modelamos clearly means we, Spanish does not need nosotros.

• Modelamos la arcilla en el torno. = normal, neutral
• Nosotros modelamos la arcilla en el torno. = also correct, but more emphatic

You might add nosotros if you want contrast, emphasis, or clarity, for example:

• Nosotros modelamos la arcilla, pero ellos la pintan.

Spanish uses the definite article more often than English does.

Here, arcilla is a feminine singular noun, so it takes la:

• la arcilla

In English, we often leave out the with materials, but Spanish frequently keeps it when referring to the material being worked with or discussed.

Also, the article must match the noun:

• la arcilla
• el barro

So this is not just about meaning; it is also about normal Spanish usage and gender agreement.

Because nouns in Spanish have grammatical gender, and arcilla happens to be feminine.

That is why you say:

• la arcilla
• esta arcilla
• arcilla blanca

The gender does not mean the clay is literally female. It is simply a grammatical category that affects articles, adjectives, and some other words.

En is the natural preposition here because Spanish often uses it where English might say on, in, or at, depending on the context.

With tools, machines, or workstations, en can mean something like:

• on
• at
• using

So en el torno means that the action is being done on the wheel / at the wheel.

A phrase like sobre el torno would sound more literal, as if something were physically resting on top of the wheel, rather than being shaped using it.

In this sentence, torno means a potter’s wheel.

The noun torno can mean different things in different contexts. For example, it can also mean a lathe in mechanical contexts. But because the sentence talks about arcilla, the pottery meaning is the natural one.

So the context tells you that el torno here is the wheel used for shaping clay.

Yes, it is completely natural.

Spanish word order is more flexible than English word order. A neutral sentence can very naturally start with the verb:

• Modelamos la arcilla en el torno.

You could also say:

• Nosotros modelamos la arcilla en el torno.

But that version sounds a bit more marked because it includes the subject pronoun.

The original order is a very normal way to say it in Spanish:

• verb: modelamos
• direct object: la arcilla
• prepositional phrase: en el torno

In most of Spain, arcilla is pronounced approximately ar-THEE-ya.

A few useful points:

• ar sounds like ar in Spanish, with a tapped r
• ci in most of Spain sounds like thi, with the th of think
• ll is usually pronounced like y in yes in most modern accents

So a rough English-friendly guide is:

• ar-THEE-ya

The stress falls on the middle syllable: ar-CI-lla.