La máquina está averiada.

to be

Breakdown of La máquina está averiada.

• la máquina: the machine
• averiado: broken

Questions & Answers about La máquina está averiada.

Why is estar used instead of ser in La máquina está averiada?

In Spanish, ser describes inherent or permanent traits (identity, origin, time), while estar describes temporary states or conditions. Since averiada refers to the machine’s current condition (it’s out of order right now), we use estar rather than ser.

Is averiada an adjective or a past participle?

Averiada is the past participle of the verb averiar (to damage, to break) but here it functions as a predicate adjective. When you pair a past participle with estar, it describes a state: “la máquina está averiada” = “the machine is broken/damaged.”

Why does averiado change to averiada?

Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Máquina is feminine and singular, so averiado takes the feminine singular ending -a to become averiada.

Can I use averiada before the noun, as in una averiada máquina?