Si te equivocas, borra la línea y vuelve a copiarla.

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Breakdown of Si te equivocas, borra la línea y vuelve a copiarla.

• y: and
• equivocarse: to make a mistake
• .: period
• si: if
• la: it
• ,: comma
• volver a: to do again
• copiar: to copy
• borrar: to delete
• la línea: the line

Questions & Answers about Si te equivocas, borra la línea y vuelve a copiarla.

What does the te in te equivocas do? Why is equivocarse reflexive?

Equivocarse is a pronominal (reflexive) verb meaning to make a mistake. The reflexive pronoun marks that the subject is the one “getting it wrong.”

• Yo me equivoco, tú te equivocas, él/ella se equivoca, nosotros nos equivocamos, vosotros os equivocáis, ellos se equivocan.
• Non‑reflexive equivocar exists but is transitive: Equivoqué el número (I got the number wrong), or Equivoqué tu nombre con el de tu hermano (I confused your name with your brother’s).

You’ll also see prepositions with equivocarse:

• equivocarse de número, de camino (to get the number/way wrong)
• equivocarse en el cálculo, en la fecha (to make a mistake in the calculation/date)

Why is it Si te equivocas (indicative) and not Si te equivoques (subjunctive)?

After si for real or likely conditions, Spanish uses the present indicative: Si te equivocas… This is the standard way to express a possible, real‑world scenario.

• Real/likely: Si te equivocas, borra… (If you make a mistake, erase…)
• More hypothetical/remote: Si te equivocaras/si te equivocas alguna vez, borrarías… (If you were to make a mistake, you would erase…)
• Note: Subjunctive with si appears in set expressions like ¡Aunque me maten, si lo sabré yo! but not in ordinary real conditions.
• Also remember: negative commands use the present subjunctive (No te equivoques), but positive commands use the imperative (Equivócate —rare as a standalone—, or here Borra…).

Are borra and vuelve tú commands? How would this change for usted, vosotros, or ustedes in Spain?

Yes, borra and vuelve are affirmative tú imperatives.

• Usted (formal, singular): Si se equivoca, borre la línea y vuelva a copiarla.
• Vosotros (informal plural, Spain): Si os equivocáis, borrad la línea y volved a copiarla.
• Ustedes (formal plural in Spain; general plural in Latin America): Si se equivocan, borren la línea y vuelvan a copiarla.

Note: Spain uses vosotros for informal plural; voseo (vos, equivocás) isn’t used in Spain.

Where do I put the object pronoun with volver a + infinitive? Is vuelve a copiarla the only option?

With affirmative commands plus an infinitive, you have two correct placements:

• Attach to the infinitive: Vuelve a copiarla (as in the sentence).
• “Clitic climbing” to the imperative: Vuélvela a copiar.

Both are natural in Spain. Avoid putting the pronoun before an affirmative imperative: La vuelve a copiar is not a command.

Negative commands place the pronoun before:

• No la vuelvas a copiar / No vuelvas a copiarla.

Why is it copiarla and not copiarlo?

Because la refers back to la línea (feminine singular). Direct object pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they replace:

• la línea → la
• el texto → lo
• las líneas → las
• los textos → los

Could I just repeat the noun instead of using the pronoun? For example, vuelve a copiar la línea.

Yes. Both are correct:

• Vuelve a copiarla.
• Vuelve a copiar la línea.

Using the pronoun avoids repeating the noun and sounds natural when the referent is clear.

What does volver a + infinitive mean? Are there alternatives like otra vez or de nuevo?

Volver a + infinitive means to do something again. It’s very common in Spain.

• Vuelve a copiarla = Copy it again. Alternatives:
• Cópiala otra vez.
• Cópiala de nuevo.

All are fine; volver a + infinitive is often the most idiomatic for “again.”

What’s the difference between borrar, tachar, and eliminar?

• Borrar: erase/delete (pencil marks, whiteboard, text on a screen).
• Tachar: cross out (draw a line through text on paper).
• Eliminar/suprimir: delete/remove (more formal/technical, common in computer contexts).

In your sentence, borrar fits best for erasing a written or typed line. If you’re physically putting a line through it on paper, tachar la línea would be more precise.

Why does línea have an accent?

Línea is stressed on the antepenultimate syllable (LÍ-ne-a). Words with stress on the antepenultimate syllable (esdrújulas) always carry a written accent in Spanish. So it must be línea, not linea.

Why si without an accent here? How is it different from sí?

• si (no accent) = if. Si te equivocas… (If you make a mistake…)
• sí (accent) = yes, or a reflexive pronoun after a preposition (lo hizo por sí mismo = he did it by himself).

Your sentence uses si = if, so no accent.

Can I say Bórrala instead of Borra la línea?

Yes. With affirmative commands, object pronouns attach to the verb:

• Borra la línea → Bórrala.

Note the accent to keep the stress: bó-rrala. Similarly: Cópiala, Vuélvela a copiar.

Is recopiar a valid way to say “copy again”?

You may see recopiar in some dictionaries or contexts, but it’s uncommon in everyday Spanish in Spain. The natural choices are:

• volver a copiar
• copiar otra vez
• copiar de nuevo

Stick with those in general use.

Why is there a comma after Si te equivocas?

When the si‑clause (condition) comes first, Spanish uses a comma before the main clause:

• Si te equivocas, borra…

If the main clause comes first, no comma is needed:

• Borra la línea si te equivocas.

Do I need the preposition a after vuelve?

Yes. The structure is volver a + infinitive to mean do again:

• Vuelve a copiarla (correct) Not: Vuelve copiarla (incorrect)