Breakdown of Se nos apagó la llama, por lo tanto estamos por revisar el quemador.
estar
to be (location/state)
nos
to us
revisar
to check
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
apagar
to turn off
se
(marker of an accidental/unintentional event)
por lo tanto
therefore (consequently)
la llama
the flame
el quemador
the burner
Questions & Answers about Se nos apagó la llama, por lo tanto estamos por revisar el quemador.
Why use estamos por revisar instead of the simpler vamos a revisar?
Estar por followed by an infinitive (like revisar) is a specific structure that means 'to be about to' do something. While vamos a revisar just means 'we are going to check' at some point in the future, estamos por revisar emphasizes that the action is imminent and happening right now.
Why is it Se nos apagó la llama rather than just La llama se apagó?
Adding the indirect object pronoun nos creates the accidental se construction. If you just say La llama se apagó, it simply means the flame went out. Adding nos changes the feeling to 'the flame went out on us', implying it was an unexpected or inconvenient event that affected the speakers.
Could I say estamos para revisar to mean the same thing?
No, the meaning would change. In Latin America, estar por plus an infinitive is the standard way to express that an action is about to happen. If you use estar para instead, it usually means 'to be in the mood to' or 'to be ready to' do something.
Is por lo tanto the only way to express 'therefore' here?
No, you have a few good options. Por lo tanto is very common and functions just like 'therefore' in English. You could easily substitute it with por eso ('that is why') or así que ('so') for a slightly more conversational tone.
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