Learn Spanish (Latin America): El niño se echó a llorar sin su salvavidas. - The boy started to cry without his life vest.

Salvavidas is a compound noun made from the verb salva (saves) and the plural noun vidas (lives). In Spanish, compound nouns formed this way always end in -s, even when singular. You would say un salvavidas for one and los salvavidas for multiple.

Why use se echó a llorar instead of empezó a llorar?

While empezó a llorar simply means 'started to cry,' the phrase echarse a followed by an infinitive emphasizes a sudden or explosive start to an action. Here, it translates closer to 'burst into tears.'

Can I use echarse a with any verb to mean 'start doing'?

Not quite. It is mostly reserved for spontaneous, sudden physical actions or emotional reactions. Common combinations are echarse a reír (to burst out laughing), echarse a correr (to take off running), or echarse a volar (to take flight). For regular planned actions, stick to empezar a or comenzar a.

Does salvavidas change if it refers to a lifeguard instead of a life vest?