Learn Spanish (Latin America): Ya llevo armados dos terrarios; por consiguiente, sé cómo funciona el recipiente. - I have already built two terrariums; consequently, I know how the container works.

Ya llevo armados dos terrarios; por consiguiente, sé cómo funciona el recipiente.

I have already built two terrariums; consequently, I know how the container works.

Breakdown of Ya llevo armados dos terrarios; por consiguiente, sé cómo funciona el recipiente.

cómo

how

saber

to know (facts) / to hear from (someone)

dos

two

already / now (right now)

Questions & Answers about Ya llevo armados dos terrarios; por consiguiente, sé cómo funciona el recipiente.

Why use llevo armados instead of the present perfect he armado?

While he armado simply means "I have built," the structure llevar + [past participle] emphasizes the accumulation of an action up to the present moment. Llevo armados means "I have built so far," often implying that the task is ongoing and you might build more.

Why does armados end in -os? Doesn't the past participle stay the same when forming perfect tenses?

When used with the auxiliary verb haber, the past participle never changes. However, in the llevar + [past participle] structure, the participle acts as an adjective describing the direct object. It must agree in gender and number with what you are accumulating—in this case, the masculine plural terrarios.

Is por consiguiente a common phrase, or is there a simpler alternative?

It is a common connector meaning "consequently" or "therefore," but it leans a bit formal or written. In everyday spoken Spanish, you'll more frequently hear por eso or por lo tanto, which can be used interchangeably with por consiguiente here.

Why is the verb funciona placed before el recipiente at the end of the sentence?