Breakdown of La niña se echa a reír repentinamente y suelta una carcajada.
y
and
la niña
the girl
una
a, an (feminine)
reír
to laugh
Questions & Answers about La niña se echa a reír repentinamente y suelta una carcajada.
How does se echa a reír mean "bursts out laughing"? Doesn't echar mean "to throw"?
While echar usually means "to throw," the reflexive phrase echarse a followed by an infinitive (like reír) is a special formula. It is used to show that an action starts very suddenly or unexpectedly. Here, it translates perfectly to "bursts out laughing."
Could I just say empieza a reír instead of se echa a reír?
What does suelta mean in this context? I learned soltar means "to let go."
That is exactly right! Soltar literally means "to let go," "to drop," or "to release." When paired with noises like a laugh, a cry, or a sigh, it translates naturally to English as "lets out." She is literally "releasing" a loud laugh.
What is the difference between una carcajada and una risa?
Risa is the general word for "laughter" or "a laugh." A carcajada is a specific, very loud, and uninhibited laugh, like a guffaw or a belly laugh.