Breakdown of El calentador es súper viejo, pero sigo sin arreglar la gotera.
ser
to be
pero
but
viejo
old
arreglar
to fix
seguir
to continue
sin
without
súper
super (intensifier)
la gotera
leak (drip, roof)
el calentador
water heater
Questions & Answers about El calentador es súper viejo, pero sigo sin arreglar la gotera.
Why does this sentence use sin arreglar instead of a negative gerund like no arreglando to say "still not fixing"?
In Spanish, you cannot say seguir + no + gerund. To express that you "continue not doing" something or "still haven't done" something, you use the structure seguir + sin + infinitive. Here, sigo sin arreglar literally translates to "I continue without fixing", which is the most natural way to say "I'm still not fixing".
Why use gotera instead of fuga for "leak"?
Gotera comes from the word gota (drop) and specifically refers to a dripping leak, like water dripping from a pipe, tap, or roof. A fuga is a more general or severe escape of a substance, such as a gas leak (fuga de gas) or a massive water leak. Because this is a dripping water heater, gotera is the most precise word.
Is it grammatically okay to say súper viejo instead of muy viejo?
Yes! Attaching súper as an intensifier before adjectives (like súper viejo or súper caro) is incredibly common in spoken and informal written Latin American Spanish. It sounds slightly more expressive and conversational than muy viejo.
Could I say está súper viejo instead of es súper viejo?
Learn El calentador es súper viejo, pero sigo sin arreglar la gotera and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free