Learn Spanish (Latin America): Si el programa que usas falla, reiniciamos el sistema. - If the program that you use fails, we restart the system.

Si el programa que usas falla, reiniciamos el sistema.

If the program that you use fails, we restart the system.

Breakdown of Si el programa que usas falla, reiniciamos el sistema.

to fail (machines, plans) / to crash

Questions & Answers about Si el programa que usas falla, reiniciamos el sistema.

Why are both verbs (falla and reiniciamos) in the present tense?

This sentence uses the si (if) plus present tense structure to talk about a general rule or an automatic result. While you could use the future tense for the second part (we will restart), using the present tense (reiniciamos) makes the action sound immediate and guaranteed: 'If it fails, we restart it.'

Why do we say el programa and el sistema if both words end in '-a'?

Many Spanish nouns that end in -ma are actually masculine. These are usually words of Greek origin related to science, technology, or academia. You just have to memorize them with el. Another very common example you already know is el problema.

In English, I can just say 'the program you use' and leave out the word 'that'. Can I drop que here too?

No. In English, dropping 'that' is perfectly normal, but in Spanish, the linking word que (that/which) is completely mandatory. You must always say el programa que usas.

How does the verb reiniciamos break down?

It comes from the verb reiniciar (to restart). It is built from the prefix re- (meaning again) plus iniciar (to initiate or start). So it literally means 'to initiate again'. Reiniciamos is the 'we' form in the present tense.