Learn Spanish (Latin America): Hemos tapado la tubería, es decir, es nuestra culpa. - We have clogged the pipe, that is to say, it is our fault.

Hemos tapado la tubería, es decir, es nuestra culpa.

We have clogged the pipe, that is to say, it is our fault.

Breakdown of Hemos tapado la tubería, es decir, es nuestra culpa.

Questions & Answers about Hemos tapado la tubería, es decir, es nuestra culpa.

How exactly does es decir work here, and could I use o sea instead?

es decir literally translates to "it is to say" but means "that is to say" or "in other words." It connects the two halves of the sentence to show that the second half clarifies the first. You can definitely use o sea instead! They mean the same thing, though es decir is slightly more formal while o sea is very common in casual, everyday speech.

I thought tapar meant "to cover." Why does it translate to "clogged" here?

You are right that tapar usually means "to cover," like putting a lid on a pot. However, when talking about a pipe (tubería), a drain, or even your nose, "covering" the passage means blocking it. Therefore, in plumbing contexts, tapar translates naturally to "clog" or "block."

Why does this sentence use es nuestra culpa instead of a phrase with tener?

Spanish has two common ways to talk about fault. You can say someone "has the fault" using tener la culpa, which would be tenemos la culpa (we are to blame). Alternatively, you can describe the situation as "being" someone's fault using the verb ser, which is what happens here with es nuestra culpa (it is our fault). Both are perfectly natural to use.

Do I always need to put commas around es decir?