Breakdown of Acabamos de arreglar el lavaplatos.
arreglar
to fix
acabar de
to have just
el lavaplatos
dishwasher
Questions & Answers about Acabamos de arreglar el lavaplatos.
Why does the word for a single dishwasher, el lavaplatos, end in an "s"?
This is a classic compound noun made by combining a verb (lava, meaning washes) and a noun (platos, meaning plates). In Spanish, when you form a compound noun this way, the noun part is almost always in its plural form, even if the object itself is singular.
If el lavaplatos is singular, how would I say "the dishwashers" in the plural?
You only change the article! It becomes los lavaplatos. Compound nouns that already end in an "s" do not change their spelling when pluralized; only the article changes to show whether it is singular or plural.
Why is the present tense verb acabamos translated as the past tense "We just repaired"?
The phrase acabar de followed by an infinitive (like arreglar) is a set structure meaning "to have just done something." Even though the action itself just finished in the recent past, Spanish uses the present tense of acabar for this construction.
Is lavaplatos the standard word for this appliance in Latin America?
Yes. You might also encounter the word el lavavajillas in Spanish media, but that term is mostly used in Spain. In Latin America, el lavaplatos is the standard everyday word (and note that in some countries, like Colombia or Venezuela, it can also refer to the kitchen sink!).
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