Metemos la cápsula de detergente en el tambor.

Metemos is the 1st person plural form of the verb meter, which often means to put, to place, to insert, or to stick in.

• yo meto = I put
• tú metes = you put
• él/ella mete = he/she puts
• nosotros metemos = we put
• vosotros metéis = you all put
• ellos meten = they put

In this sentence, metemos literally means we put / we place / we insert.

In instructions, Spanish often uses we in a general, inclusive way, a bit like English we in First, we add the detergent.

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

Here, metemos already tells you the subject is nosotros (we), so saying Nosotros metemos la cápsula... is usually unnecessary.

Spanish does this a lot:

• Comemos ahora. = We’re eating now.
• Abrimos la puerta. = We open the door.
• Metemos la cápsula... = We put the capsule...

You can include nosotros for emphasis or contrast, but normally it is omitted.

Spanish often uses the present tense for instructions, demonstrations, recipes, manuals, and step-by-step explanations.

So Metemos la cápsula de detergente en el tambor can sound like:

• We put the detergent capsule in the drum
• Put the detergent capsule in the drum
• Next, we put the detergent capsule in the drum

This is sometimes called the instructional present or procedural present.

Other common ways to give instructions in Spanish are:

• Mete la cápsula... = Put the capsule... (tú command)
• Meta la cápsula... = Put the capsule... (usted command)
• Meted la cápsula... = Put the capsule... (vosotros, common in Spain)
• Metan la cápsula... = Put the capsule... (ustedes command)

Here, meter suggests putting something inside something else, so it works very naturally with en el tambor.

• meter = to put in / insert / place inside
• poner = to put / place

Both can sometimes work, but meter is especially natural when something goes into a space or container.

Compare:

• Metemos la cápsula en el tambor. = We put the capsule into the drum.
• Ponemos la cápsula en la mesa. = We put the capsule on the table.

So meter fits well because the capsule is going inside the washing machine drum.

Spanish uses articles (el, la, los, las, un, una) more often than English does.

So la cápsula means the capsule. In many practical instructions, Spanish prefers the article where English might sometimes omit it.

Also:

• cápsula is a feminine noun
• that is why it uses la, not el

Examples:

• la cápsula
• una cápsula

Spanish often uses de + noun where English might use a noun directly as a modifier.

So:

• cápsula de detergente = detergent capsule / detergent pod
• literally: capsule of detergent

This structure is very common in Spanish:

• botella de agua = bottle of water
• caja de zapatos = shoe box
• máquina de lavar = washing machine

So de detergente tells you what kind of capsule it is.

In a washing-machine context, el tambor is the drum, the inner part where you put the clothes.

Outside this context, tambor can also mean drum as a musical instrument, so the exact meaning depends on context.

Here it clearly means the washing-machine drum.

Because en is used to express location or placement inside something.

• en el tambor = in the drum

Using a or al would not sound right here, because the idea is not movement toward the drum in a general sense, but placement inside it.

Compare:

• Lo metemos en la caja. = We put it in the box.
• Entramos al edificio. = We go into the building.

With meter, Spanish normally uses en for the place something is put into:

• meter algo en algo

Yes, tambor is a masculine noun, so it takes el:

• el tambor
• un tambor

Many Spanish nouns ending in -or are masculine:

• el color
• el motor
• el profesor

But as always, gender has to be learned with the noun. In this case, it is definitely el tambor.

Yes, depending on context, that can be a very natural translation.

Because metemos is we put, it can sometimes sound like:

• We put the detergent capsule in the drum
• Let’s put the detergent capsule in the drum
• Next, put the detergent capsule in the drum

The exact English translation depends on the situation:

• in a manual: Put the detergent capsule in the drum
• in a demonstration: We put the detergent capsule in the drum
• when guiding someone: Let’s put the detergent capsule in the drum

Yes, cápsula is a common and natural word in Spain for a detergent capsule or pod, especially in product instructions and packaging.

You may also hear or see terms like:

• cápsula
• cápsula de detergente
• sometimes monodosis in product language

For a learner, cápsula de detergente is a very useful and standard phrase to know.