Question 1

Why do we use está configurado instead of es configurado here?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the state passive (pasiva de resultado). We use estar + past participle to focus on the result or the current state after an action is finished. If we used es configurado (using ser), it would describe the action taking place right now: 'The firewall is being configured.' Here, the work is already done, so it is in a configured state.

Question 2

Cortafuegos ends in an 's'. Why are the words around it (el, nuevo, está, configurado) singular?

Accepted Answer

Cortafuegos (firewall) is a compound noun made of a verb (corta, cuts) and a plural noun (fuegos, fires). In Spanish, these verb + noun compound words are masculine, and their singular and plural forms are exactly the same. Because el cortafuegos refers to just one firewall here, all the surrounding articles, adjectives, and verbs must be singular to match it.

Question 3

Does the past participle configurado change depending on the subject?

Accepted Answer

Yes! When you use the state passive (estar + past participle), the past participle acts like an adjective. It must agree in gender and number with the subject. If we were talking about multiple firewalls, we would say Los cortafuegos ya están configurados. If the subject were feminine, like a network (la red), it would be La red ya está configurada.

Question 4

Could we put ya at the end of the sentence instead of before the verb?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Spanish is quite flexible with adverbs like ya. You could perfectly well say El cortafuegos nuevo está configurado ya. However, putting ya directly before the verb is the most common and natural-sounding placement.

El cortafuegos nuevo ya está configurado.

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