Mi hermana usa poco suavizante cuando tiende la ropa en el tendedero.

Tiende comes from the verb tender.

In this sentence, tender means to hang out laundry to dry, which is a very common use in Spain.

It looks different because tender is a stem-changing verb:

• tender
• yo tiendo
• tú tiendes
• él/ella tiende

So the e in the stem changes to ie in many present-tense forms. That is why you get tiende, not tende.

Yes. In Spain, tender la ropa usually means to hang laundry up to dry.

It is more specific than the general English verb to hang.
For example:

• Tender la ropa = hang the washing/laundry out to dry
• Colgar la ropa = hang the clothes, more general

So in this sentence, tiende la ropa clearly suggests a laundry context, not just hanging clothes somewhere.

Sometimes yes, but they are not exactly the same.

In Spain:

• tender la ropa is the most natural way to say hang laundry out to dry
• colgar la ropa is more general: hang the clothes

If you are talking about washing and drying clothes, tender la ropa is the more idiomatic choice.

Because suavizante here is being treated as an uncountable substance, like water, salt, or detergent.

So Spanish uses:

• poco suavizante = little fabric softener

You would only use pocos suavizantes if you meant few fabric softeners, as in different products or bottles.

In this sentence, we are talking about the amount she uses, not the number of items.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same in tone.

• poco suavizante = little fabric softener
  This can suggest a relatively small amount, and sometimes it sounds slightly evaluative.
• un poco de suavizante = a little fabric softener
  This often sounds more neutral.

So:

• Mi hermana usa poco suavizante = my sister uses little fabric softener
• Mi hermana usa un poco de suavizante = my sister uses a little fabric softener

Both are correct, but the original sentence emphasizes that the amount is small.

Because after words of quantity like poco, Spanish often uses the noun directly:

• poco suavizante
• mucha agua
• bastante azúcar

You do not normally say:

• poco el suavizante ❌

If you use un poco de, then you do need de:

• un poco de suavizante

So the structure in the sentence is completely normal:

• usa poco suavizante

Spanish often uses the definite article where English would not.

Here, la ropa means the clothes / the laundry, referring to the clothes she is hanging up.

This is very common in Spanish:

• lavar la ropa = wash the clothes / do the laundry
• tender la ropa = hang the clothes out
• guardar la ropa = put the clothes away

So la ropa sounds natural and idiomatic.

El tendedero is the place where clothes are hung to dry.

In English, depending on the situation, it could be:

• clothesline
• drying rack
• washing line

In Spain, tendedero can refer to different kinds of laundry-drying setups, not just a traditional line outdoors.

Because en marks the place where the clothes are hung.

• en el tendedero = on the drying rack / on the clothesline

Using a would suggest movement toward a destination, which is not the natural phrasing here.

With tender la ropa, Spanish normally says:

• tender la ropa en el tendedero

So en is the usual preposition for the location where the clothes end up hanging.

Because this sentence describes a habitual action or a general routine.

• cuando tiende la ropa = when she hangs the clothes out

This refers to something that regularly happens, so Spanish uses the indicative.

You often get the subjunctive after cuando when talking about a future or uncertain event:

• cuando tienda la ropa = when she hangs the clothes out / when she does hang them out later

But in the original sentence, it is a repeated, normal action, so tiende is correct.

Because the sentence describes a habit or usual behavior.

Spanish uses the present tense for routines, just like English does:

• Mi hermana usa poco suavizante... = My sister uses little fabric softener...
• ...cuando tiende la ropa... = ...when she hangs the clothes out...

It is not necessarily happening right now. It means this is what she generally does.

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb ending already tells you the subject is he/she/it:

• usa
• tiende

And since the sentence already says Mi hermana, adding ella would usually be unnecessary.

So:

• Mi hermana usa poco suavizante... = natural
• Mi hermana ella usa... = not natural here

Spanish commonly omits pronouns unless you want emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

In modern standard Spanish, possessive adjectives like mi, tu, and su normally go directly before the noun without an article:

• mi hermana
• tu casa
• su coche

So mi hermana is the normal way to say my sister.

Forms like la mi hermana are not standard modern Spanish in this context.