La manga de mi camisa se mojó al lavar los platos.

Yes — manga has more than one meaning.

In this sentence, la manga means the sleeve of a piece of clothing.

• la manga de mi camisa = the sleeve of my shirt

The word manga can also refer to Japanese comics, but the context makes the meaning clear. If you are talking about clothing, manga usually means sleeve.

You may also see:

• manga corta = short sleeve
• manga larga = long sleeve

Because mi manga by itself would usually sound like my sleeve, as if the sleeve were its own object. Spanish often prefers to name the whole item and then specify the part:

• la manga de mi camisa = the sleeve of my shirt
• la puerta del coche = the car door
• la pantalla del móvil = the phone screen

This is very natural in Spanish when talking about parts of things.

Could someone say mi manga in the right context? Yes, if it is already obvious you are talking about your shirt or jacket. But la manga de mi camisa is clearer and more neutral.

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) when talking about a specific body part, clothing item, or part of something, especially when the owner is already clear from context or mentioned later.

Here, ownership is expressed with:

• de mi camisa = of my shirt

So the whole phrase is:

• la manga de mi camisa = the sleeve of my shirt

This structure is very common in Spanish.

Se mojó comes from the verb mojarse, which means to get wet.

• mojar = to wet something
• mojarse = to get wet / become wet

So:

• La manga se mojó = The sleeve got wet

This is different from actively making something wet:

• Mojé la manga = I wet the sleeve
• La manga se mojó = The sleeve got wet

The se here is part of the pronominal verb mojarse, which often expresses a change of state.

It is related to reflexive forms, but here it is best understood as part of the verb mojarse meaning to get wet.

In many cases, Spanish uses a pronominal form to express that something undergoes a change:

• romper = to break something

• romperse = to break / get broken

• mojar = to wet something
• mojarse = to get wet

So se mojó does not literally mean the sleeve wet itself. It simply means it became wet.

This is a very common pattern in Spanish.

Because the sentence refers to a completed event in the past.

• se mojó = got wet
• It happened at a specific moment or during a specific past situation.

The preterite is natural here because the speaker is describing an event as a whole:

• La manga de mi camisa se mojó = The sleeve of my shirt got wet

If you used the imperfect, se mojaba, it would suggest something habitual, repeated, or ongoing in the past, which does not fit as well here.

Al + infinitive means when doing, upon doing, or while doing, depending on context.

So:

• al lavar los platos = while washing the dishes / when washing the dishes

This structure is very common in Spanish:

• Al entrar, saludó a todos. = Upon entering / When he came in, he greeted everyone.
• Me corté al cocinar. = I cut myself while cooking.

In your sentence, it explains when or during what activity the sleeve got wet.

All of those can work, but they are not identical in style.

al + infinitive

This is concise and very natural for saying during the action of doing something.

• se mojó al lavar los platos = it got wet while washing the dishes

mientras lavaba los platos

This also means while I was washing the dishes, but it is more explicit and usually introduces a full clause.

cuando lavaba los platos

This means when I was washing the dishes, but it can sound slightly broader or less tightly connected to the exact moment.

So al lavar los platos is a neat, idiomatic way to express the circumstance.

Because Spanish often leaves out the subject when it is understood from context or simply not important.

In al lavar los platos, the sentence does not explicitly say I, but the context strongly suggests it:

• while washing the dishes

English often needs a subject more explicitly, but Spanish can be more flexible.

If you wanted to make it explicit, you could say something like:

• La manga de mi camisa se mojó cuando yo lavaba los platos.

But that is less compact and not necessary unless you want emphasis or clarity.

In Spanish, general everyday activities often use the definite article where English may not.

• lavar los platos = to wash the dishes
• hacer la cama = to make the bed
• limpiarse los dientes = to brush one’s teeth

So los platos is the normal expression here. Saying just lavar platos is possible in some contexts, but it sounds more general, like washing dishes as an activity in general rather than doing the dishes in the usual everyday sense.

Yes, but it means something slightly different.

• se mojó = got wet
  This focuses on the event or change.
• estaba mojada = was wet
  This focuses on the resulting state.

Compare:

• La manga de mi camisa se mojó al lavar los platos.
  = The sleeve got wet while I was washing the dishes.

• La manga de mi camisa estaba mojada.
  = The sleeve of my shirt was wet.

The first tells you what happened. The second tells you how it was.

Because they are different grammatical forms.

In the original:

• se mojó
• mojó is a verb in the preterite
• It means got wet

In estaba mojada:

• mojada is an adjective/past participle
• It describes the sleeve’s condition: wet
• It must agree with la manga, which is feminine singular, so it becomes mojada

Compare:

• El pantalón estaba mojado.
• La camisa estaba mojada.
• Las mangas estaban mojadas.

Yes, to some extent, but the original order is the most natural and neutral.

Original:

• La manga de mi camisa se mojó al lavar los platos.

You could also say:

• Al lavar los platos, se mojó la manga de mi camisa.

This is also correct, but it gives slightly more emphasis to the time/circumstance first.

Spanish word order is often more flexible than English, but not all versions sound equally natural in every context. The original sentence is straightforward and idiomatic.

Yes, it is completely natural in Spain, and also understandable and natural in most other Spanish-speaking regions.

Nothing in the sentence is strongly region-specific. The vocabulary and grammar are standard:

• manga = sleeve
• camisa = shirt
• se mojó = got wet
• lavar los platos = wash the dishes

A speaker from another country might sometimes prefer a slightly different everyday phrasing, but this sentence is standard Spanish.