Breakdown of Retirar el polvo del telar para evitar un incendio.
un
a, an (masculine)
del
from the / of the
para
for
el polvo
the dust
evitar
to avoid
el incendio
the fire
el telar
the loom
retirar
to remove
Questions & Answers about Retirar el polvo del telar para evitar un incendio.
Why does this sentence start with the infinitive Retirar instead of a command like Retire?
This is an example of an independent infinitive. In Spanish, it is very common to use the infinitive instead of a conjugated imperative for impersonal written instructions, safety warnings, recipes, or signs. It tells anyone reading it what to do without addressing a specific "you."
Could I use the verb quitar instead of retirar to say "remove"?
Why use incendio for "fire" here instead of fuego?
Fuego refers to the general element of fire, or a controlled fire (like a campfire or the flame on a gas stove). An incendio is a destructive, uncontrolled fire (like a building fire or a wildfire). Since the dust on a loom would cause an accidental, dangerous fire, incendio is the exact word needed here.
Why do we use para instead of por before evitar?
You use para followed by an infinitive to express a purpose, goal, or intention. It translates perfectly to "in order to." In this sentence, the purpose of removing the dust is in order to avoid a fire.
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