Breakdown of Se lo vuelvo a explicar: el tanque grande viene a necesitar quinientos litros.
necesitar
to need
grande
big
a
to
explicar
to explain
quinientos
five hundred
lo
it / him (direct object)
se
to him / to her / to them / to you (formal)
volver
to do again (volver a + infinitive)
venir a
to amount to / come to (approximately)
el tanque
tank
el litro
liter
Questions & Answers about Se lo vuelvo a explicar: el tanque grande viene a necesitar quinientos litros.
How does viene a necesitar translate to "ends up needing" in this sentence?
The structure venir a + infinitive is a verbal periphrasis (a multi-word verb phrase) that expresses an approximate or concluding outcome. It implies that after all factors are considered, the tank "ultimately," "roughly," or "ends up" needing that amount.
Why does the sentence use Se lo instead of Le lo?
When the indirect object pronoun le (meaning "to you" or "to him/her") and the direct object pronoun lo (meaning "it") appear together, Spanish always changes the le to se to avoid the clunky "le lo" sound.
Could the pronouns se lo go anywhere else in this sentence?
Yes! Because the sentence contains the infinitive explicar, you have the option to attach both pronouns to the end of it. You could say vuelvo a explicárselo (adding an accent mark to maintain the original spoken stress) and it would be perfectly natural and mean the exact same thing.
The English translation says "I'll explain," but vuelvo is in the present tense. Is that normal?
Yes, in Spanish, the simple present tense is frequently used for immediate future actions or firm intentions. Saying Se lo vuelvo a explicar is the most natural way to announce an action you are about to do right now in a conversation.
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