Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): La lavadora hace mucho ruido cuando uso demasiado detergente. - The washing machine makes a lot of noise when I use too much detergent.

La lavadora = the washing machine (general in context, often “my washing machine” in meaning).
Just lavadora hace mucho ruido would sound wrong; Spanish needs the article.
You could say mi lavadora hace mucho ruido if you specifically want to emphasize that it’s my washing machine, but la lavadora already sounds natural and often implies “the one in question / my one” from context.

Why do you say hace mucho ruido instead of something like es muy ruidosa for “is very noisy”?

Both are possible, but they’re not identical.

Hace mucho ruido literally: it makes a lot of noise.
- Focuses on the noise it produces in a particular situation (here: when you use too much detergent).
Es muy ruidosa: it is very noisy (using the adjective ruidosa).
- Describes the washing machine as a generally noisy type of machine.

In this sentence, hace mucho ruido cuando uso demasiado detergente sounds more natural because we’re talking about what happens in that specific condition, not its permanent characteristic.

Why is it mucho ruido and not muy ruido?

Because mucho and muy are used differently:

mucho modifies nouns or verbs:
- mucho ruido (a lot of noise) – noun
- trabaja mucho (he works a lot) – verb
muy modifies adjectives or adverbs:
- muy ruidosa (very noisy) – adjective
- habla muy rápido (speaks very fast) – adverb

Here ruido is a noun, so you must say mucho ruido, not muy ruido.

Why is cuando written without an accent here? When should I use cuando vs cuándo?

cuando (no accent) is a conjunction meaning when in the middle of a clause:
- La lavadora hace mucho ruido cuando uso demasiado detergente.
cuándo (with accent) is an interrogative (for questions, direct or indirect):
- ¿Cuándo usas la lavadora? (direct question)
- No sé cuándo usas la lavadora. (indirect question)

In your sentence, cuando just introduces a time condition, so no accent.

Why is it uso with no subject pronoun yo? Can I say cuando yo uso?

Spanish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.

uso is 1st person singular of usar, so it already means I use.
cuando uso demasiado detergente is the most natural version.

You can say cuando yo uso demasiado detergente, but you normally add yo only to stress contrast or emphasis:

Cuando yo uso la lavadora, hace mucho ruido; cuando tú la usas, no.
(“When I use the washing machine, it makes a lot of noise; when you use it, it doesn’t.”)

Why is the present tense hace / uso used, and not something like está haciendo / estoy usando?

In Spanish, the simple present is often used for:

General truths or habits
What normally happens under certain conditions

So:

La lavadora hace mucho ruido cuando uso demasiado detergente.
= “The washing machine makes a lot of noise when I use too much detergent” (as a general fact).

Está haciendo / estoy usando (present progressive) focus on what is happening right now:

La lavadora está haciendo mucho ruido porque estoy usando demasiado detergente.
= “The washing machine is making a lot of noise because I am using too much detergent (right now).”

Your original sentence sounds like a general observation, so the simple present is correct.

Can I move cuando uso demasiado detergente to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Both orders are correct:

La lavadora hace mucho ruido cuando uso demasiado detergente.
Cuando uso demasiado detergente, la lavadora hace mucho ruido.

Spanish allows this kind of reordering. When you put the cuando clause first, it’s common (but not mandatory) to add a comma after it, especially in writing.

How does demasiado work here? Why demasiado detergente and not demasiada?

Demasiado can work in different ways:

As an adjective before a noun, it agrees in gender and number:
- demasiado detergente (too much detergent) → detergente is masculine singular, so demasiado is masculine singular.
- demasiada agua (too much water) – feminine singular
- demasiados platos (too many plates) – masculine plural
- demasiadas tareas (too many tasks) – feminine plural
As an adverb, it’s invariable:
- come demasiado (he eats too much)
- habla demasiado rápido (she speaks too fast)

In demasiado detergente, it’s an adjective modifying the noun detergente, which is masculine → demasiado.

What gender is detergente, and can it be plural?

Detergente is masculine in Spanish:

el detergente
mucho detergente, demasiado detergente

It can be plural when you talk about different types or packages:

los detergentes que venden en ese supermercado
(“the detergents they sell in that supermarket”)

In your sentence you’re talking about detergent as a substance (uncountable idea), so it’s naturally singular: demasiado detergente.

Why is there no article in demasiado detergente (why not demasiado el detergente)?

When you talk about an indefinite quantity of an uncountable substance, Spanish normally does not use an article:

mucho arroz (a lot of rice)
poca agua (little water)
demasiado detergente (too much detergent)

If you said demasiado del detergente, it would refer to a specific detergent already identified:

He echado demasiado del detergente que compramos ayer.
(“I’ve put in too much of the detergent we bought yesterday.”)

Your sentence is about detergent in general, so no article: demasiado detergente.

Could I say La lavadora es muy ruidosa cuando uso demasiado detergente? Is that correct?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct, and people would understand you.

La lavadora es muy ruidosa cuando uso demasiado detergente.
= “The washing machine is very noisy when I use too much detergent.”

Nuance:

hace mucho ruido emphasizes the noise produced in that situation.
es muy ruidosa emphasizes the characteristic of being noisy in that situation.

In practice, with machines, hacer ruido / hacer mucho ruido is very common and idiomatic, so hace mucho ruido is usually preferred here.

Is lavadora always feminine? Why?

Yes, lavadora is a feminine noun:

la lavadora, una lavadora, esta lavadora

Most nouns ending in -a are feminine, and lavadora follows that pattern. It comes from the verb lavar (to wash) + the feminine agent suffix -adora (something that does the action → a washing device).

Are there any differences in Spain vs Latin America for words like lavadora or detergente in this sentence?

Your sentence is perfectly natural in Spain, and also fully understood across Latin America.

Some regional notes:

lavadora is standard almost everywhere.
- In parts of the Southern Cone (Argentina, Uruguay, etc.) you may also hear lavarropas, but lavadora is still understood.
detergente is also widely used.
- People may also say jabón (soap), jabón en polvo (powder detergent), or jabón líquido depending on the product, but detergente is standard and clear.

So for “Spanish (Spain)”, your vocabulary choice is exactly right, and it’s also very international.

How should I pronounce ruido and detergente? Any tricky parts for English speakers?

Key points:

ruido: RUI-do
- The r at the start of a word or syllable is tapped or slightly rolled (stronger than English r).
- ui is a single syllable: like “wee” but quicker and tenser: rui.
- Stress on rui: RUI-do.
detergente: de-ter-JEN-te (approx.)
- The g before e is a soft /x/ sound in many accents of Spain, similar to a throaty h: de-ter-[kh]en-te.
- Stress on gen: de-ter-GEN-te.

Full sentence stress (simplified):
La lavaDOra hace MUcho RUIdo CUANdo Uso demaSIado deterGENte.

Could I replace uso with utilizo or another verb here?

Yes, but with slight differences in tone:

cuando utilizo demasiado detergente
- utilizar is a bit more formal/neutral; perfectly correct, just a different style.
In everyday speech about washing machines, usar (to use) or poner (to put in / run) are very common:
- La lavadora hace mucho ruido cuando pongo demasiado detergente.

All these are understandable.
For a neutral, everyday Spain-Spanish sentence, uso is simple and natural.