Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Cuando hay una avería eléctrica, llamamos a una vecina que sabe solucionarla sin peligro. - When there is an electrical breakdown, we call a neighbor who knows how to solve it without danger.

Cuando hay uses the present indicative because we’re talking about a general, habitual situation: whenever this kind of thing happens, we do X.

Cuando hay una avería eléctrica, llamamos…
= Whenever there is an electrical fault, we call…

You would use cuando + subjunctive (cuando haya) mainly when you’re focusing on a specific future event:

Cuando haya una avería eléctrica, llamaremos a una vecina.
When there is an electrical fault (in the future), we’ll call a neighbor.

So:

Habit / general truth → cuando hay (+ present indicative)
Specific future event (often with future/imperative main verb) → cuando haya (+ subjunctive)

Could we say Si hay una avería eléctrica instead of Cuando hay una avería eléctrica? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say Si hay una avería eléctrica, but there’s a small nuance:

Cuando hay una avería eléctrica…
Suggests it does happen from time to time; it feels more like a habitual or typical situation.
Si hay una avería eléctrica…
Is more conditional: if it happens (maybe it will, maybe it won’t). It doesn’t imply frequency.

Both are grammatically fine; the original with cuando sounds like describing a usual procedure the speakers have.

Why is it una avería eléctrica and not un avería eléctrica?

Because avería is a feminine noun in Spanish:

la avería (the fault/breakdown)
una avería (a fault/breakdown)

The adjective eléctrica also has to agree in gender and number with the noun:

una avería eléctrica (feminine singular)
unas averías eléctricas (feminine plural)
un problema eléctrico (masculine singular)

So the article (una) and the adjective (eléctrica) both match the feminine noun avería.

What exactly is the nuance of avería eléctrica? How is it different from apagón or corte de luz?

In European Spanish:

avería eléctrica
Literally an electrical fault/breakdown, usually in equipment, wiring, or an installation.
Examples: a problem in your home’s electrical system, a faulty fuse box, a short circuit.
apagón
A power outage/blackout that often affects a whole street, neighborhood, or wide area. Not just your own wiring, but the supply from the grid.
corte de luz
A power cut; often used like apagón, but it can be more neutral: any interruption of power, big or small.

So avería eléctrica focuses on the fault itself (often in your own system), whereas apagón / corte de luz focus on the fact that the electricity supply is cut off.

Why is there an a in llamamos a una vecina? In English we just say “we call a neighbor”.

Spanish uses the personal a before a direct object that is:

a specific person
or, in many cases, any human (or pet) that you’re treating like a person.

So:

Llamamos a una vecina.
We call a (female) neighbor.

Compare:

Llamamos a María. – We call María.
Llamamos a nuestros amigos. – We call our friends.

You must not drop the a here.
✗ Llamamos una vecina is incorrect; it sounds like “we name a neighbor” rather than “we call a neighbor”.

Does llamamos a una vecina always mean we phone her, or could it also mean we call her in some other way?

On its own, llamar a alguien can mean:

To phone someone
- Voy a llamar a mi padre. – I’m going to phone my dad.
To call out to someone / summon them (with your voice, knocking, etc.)
- Llama al camarero. – Call the waiter (get his attention).

In modern everyday contexts, if you say:

Cuando hay una avería eléctrica, llamamos a una vecina…

many people would interpret it naturally as “we phone a neighbor”, unless the wider context suggests something else (e.g. you’re in a small village with no phones, etc.).

Why is it una vecina (feminine)? Does that mean it must be a woman? Could we say un vecino?

Yes:

una vecina = a female neighbor
un vecino = a male neighbor

The sentence as written clearly refers to a woman; maybe the speakers have a specific female neighbor who is good with electrical problems.

You could perfectly say:

Cuando hay una avería eléctrica, llamamos a un vecino…

if you’re talking about a male neighbor instead. The noun and article simply reflect the neighbor’s gender.

In que sabe solucionarla, what does la refer to?

The la in solucionarla is a direct object pronoun that replaces a feminine singular noun previously mentioned.

Here, it refers to:

la avería (eléctrica)

So:

que sabe solucionar la avería sin peligro
→ que sabe solucionarla sin peligro

English equivalent:
“who knows how to fix it safely” (it = the electrical fault).

Why is the pronoun attached to the verb (solucionarla) instead of placed before, as in la sabe solucionar? Are both correct?

Both are grammatically correct, but the position rules are:

With infinitives (like solucionar), direct object pronouns can go:

Attached to the infinitive
- que sabe solucionarla sin peligro
Before the conjugated verb
- que la sabe solucionar sin peligro

In this sentence, sabe is the conjugated verb and solucionar is the infinitive.

sabe solucionarla and la sabe solucionar have the same meaning.
Attaching the pronoun to the infinitive (solucionarla) is very common and sounds very natural here.

You can choose either, but native speakers often prefer the attached version in such short, fluid phrases.

Why use sabe solucionarla instead of puede solucionarla or sabe cómo solucionarla?

All of these are possible, but the nuances differ:

saber + infinitive (here sabe solucionarla)
Emphasizes skill / knowledge:
She knows how to solve it; she has the know‑how or training.
poder + infinitive (puede solucionarla)
Emphasizes ability or possibility:
She can solve it (it’s within her power or circumstances allow it), but doesn’t necessarily focus on technical know‑how.
saber cómo solucionarla
Literally “to know how to solve it”. Very clear, but a bit heavier than just sabe solucionarla. Often both are interchangeable, and Spanish frequently drops cómo in this structure.

In this context, sabe solucionarla nicely conveys: “she is knowledgeable / qualified to fix it.”

What does sin peligro mean literally, and could we say something like con seguridad or sin riesgos instead?

Literally:

sin peligro = “without danger”

It means “safely”, in the sense of not putting anyone in danger.

You could use similar expressions:

de forma segura – in a safe way
con seguridad – safely (though this can also mean “with certainty” in some contexts)
sin riesgos – without risks

So, for example:

…que sabe solucionarla sin peligro.
…que sabe solucionarla de forma segura.
…que sabe solucionarla sin riesgos.

All are understandable; sin peligro is short and very natural here.

Why is the adjective eléctrica ending in -a and not eléctrico?

Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.

Noun: avería – feminine singular
Adjective: eléctrico/eléctrica – must match the noun

So:

una avería eléctrica – feminine singular
un problema eléctrico – masculine singular
unas instalaciones eléctricas – feminine plural
unos aparatos eléctricos – masculine plural

The -a in eléctrica is simply because avería is feminine.