La máquina está averiada.

The machine is broken.

Breakdown of La máquina está averiada.

• estar: to be
• 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?

Typically, participles used as adjectives follow the noun in Spanish: una máquina averiada. Placing averiada before (una averiada máquina) is unusual and may sound awkward. Stick with una máquina averiada or use the predicate form la máquina está averiada.

What’s the difference between averiada, rota/roto, estropeada, and descompuesta?

• roto/rota: literally “broken” (often implies something has snapped or fallen apart into pieces).
• averiado/averiada: “out of order” or “damaged,” especially for machinery, vehicles, electronics.
• estropeado/estropeada: more colloquial, “gone bad” or “spoiled”; can apply to food or mechanical issues.
• descompuesto/descompuesta: “not working” or “malfunctioning,” common for appliances or systems.
All can describe a non-working machine, but averiada is a typical choice in Spain for technical failures.

How would I express “the machine has broken down” using a reflexive or perfect construction?

You can use the pronominal form averiarse with haber:
La máquina se ha averiado.
Here se turns the verb into an intransitive (the machine undergoes the action), and ha averiado is the present perfect, meaning “the machine has become damaged/broken down.”

How do you pronounce averiada and where is the stress?

Averiada is pronounced [a-be-ˈɾja-ða] in Spain. The stress falls on the third syllable (-ria-). The “d” between vowels is a softer, voiced dental fricative [ð], similar to the English “th” in “this.”