La fontanera dijo que la gotera viene de arriba, no de la tubería.

The plumber said the leak comes from upstairs, not from the pipe.

Breakdown of La fontanera dijo que la gotera viene de arriba, no de la tubería.

• que: that
• de: from
• decir: to say
• .: period
• no: not
• ,: comma
• venir: to come
• la gotera: the leak
• la tubería: the pipe
• la fontanera: the plumber
• arriba: upstairs/above

Questions & Answers about La fontanera dijo que la gotera viene de arriba, no de la tubería.

Why does it say la fontanera and not el fontanero?

Because the noun agrees with the person’s gender: fontanero (male plumber) vs fontanera (female plumber). In Spain, fontanero/a is the common word for a plumber (especially for household plumbing).

Do I always need the article in la fontanera? Could it be Fontanera dijo...?

In Spanish, it’s very normal to use the definite article with professions when you’re referring to a specific person in the situation: La fontanera dijo... = The plumber said...
Dropping the article is much less natural here; it can sound like a headline style or an odd omission.

What exactly is the difference between gotera and fuga?

Gotera is typically a drip/leak from above, like water dripping from a ceiling or roof (a “dripping leak”).
Fuga is a more general “leak/escape” (water, gas, etc.), often from inside a pipe, container, or system. A pipe problem is often described as a fuga (de agua), while ceiling dripping is a gotera.

Why is it dijo que... and not dijo de... or dijo followed by an infinitive?

With reported speech, Spanish commonly uses decir + que + clause:

• Dijo que la gotera viene... = She said that the leak is coming...
  Using decir de doesn’t work here, and an infinitive structure is different in meaning (more like to tell someone to do something).

Why is the verb after dijo in the present (viene) instead of past (venía / vino)?

Spanish often keeps the original tense in reported speech when the statement is still considered true or currently relevant. This is similar to English: She said the leak *is coming from upstairs.
You could also hear *venía if the speaker is framing it more as background information at that time, or if it was true then but not necessarily now. Vino would suggest a completed action (came), which doesn’t fit as well for an ongoing leak source.

What does viene de arriba mean literally, and what does it imply in a house?

Literally, viene de arriba = it comes from above. In a home context, it usually implies from the upstairs area: the upstairs neighbor, the floor above, the ceiling/roof area, or something located higher up.

Why is it de arriba and not desde arriba?

De is the normal choice for origin/source: venir de = to come from.
Desde focuses more on the starting point along a path or range (from (a point) onward). For a leak’s source, de arriba is the most natural.

Why is arriba used without el (not del arriba)?

Arriba here is an adverb meaning up / upstairs / above, not a noun. Adverbs don’t take articles: de arriba is like from above.
If you used a noun phrase, you’d say something like del piso de arriba (from the upstairs floor) or del techo (from the ceiling).

Is no de la tubería correct without repeating the verb? Shouldn’t it be no viene de la tubería?

It’s correct. Spanish often omits repeated material when it’s obvious, especially in contrasts:

• ...viene de arriba, no de la tubería.
  This is shorthand for ...viene de arriba, no viene de la tubería. Both are grammatical; the shorter one is more natural in speech.

What’s the difference between tubería and tubo?

Tubería usually refers to piping / the pipework / the plumbing system (often as a network).
Tubo is a single tube/pipe as an object. So blaming la tubería suggests the plumbing line/system rather than one specific pipe piece.

Why is it la tubería with an article? Could it be de tubería?

In this specific context, la tubería means the (relevant) pipework—the one in the building/apartment being discussed. Spanish commonly uses the definite article for that.
De tubería would sound incomplete or like a classification (made of pipe, pipe-type), not a specific source.

Does the comma in de arriba, no de la tubería matter?

It helps show the contrast clearly: from upstairs, not from the pipework. In Spanish, commas often mark this kind of correction/contrast (X, no Y). You might see it without the comma in informal writing, but the comma is standard and clearer.