Explaining situations and expressing doubt
To state the reason for an issue, use como at the beginning of a sentence to mean "since" or "because".
| Since the tire has no air, we cannot travel. | Como el neumático no tiene aire, no podemos viajar. |
When expressing uncertainty with adverbs like quizás, quizá, tal vez (perhaps/maybe), or probablemente (probably), follow them with the subjunctive mood.
| Perhaps you have to buy another tire for the car. | Quizás tengas que comprar otro neumático para el coche. |
Flat tires and near misses
Spanish uses the verb pinchar for getting a flat tire. If a breakdown interrupted your plans, use estar a punto de (to be about to) followed by an infinitive. For past events, put estar in the imperfect tense (like estaba or estábamos).
| We were about to arrive at the hotel when the car got a flat tire. | Estábamos a punto de llegar al hotel cuando el coche pinchó. |
The noun for a flat tire is el pinchazo.
| Since we had a flat tire, we called the insurance. | Como tuvimos un pinchazo, llamamos al seguro. |
If you can't fix it yourself, you might need to call the tow truck (la grúa).
| Perhaps the tow truck will arrive soon at the vacant lot. | Tal vez la grúa llegue pronto al descampado. |
Car parts and compound nouns
Many car parts are compound nouns formed by combining a verb with a plural noun. These words are always masculine and use the exact same form for both singular and plural.
- el parabrisas (windshield): from parar (to stop) and brisas (breezes)
- el limpiaparabrisas (windshield wiper): from limpiar (to clean) and parabrisas
- el parachoques (bumper): from parar (to stop) and choques (crashes)
| Since the windshield was dirty, she saw nothing. | Como el parabrisas estaba sucio, ella no veía nada. |
| The windshield wiper is very useful when it starts to rain. | El limpiaparabrisas es muy útil cuando empieza a llover. |
| The driver crashed and broke the rear bumper. | El conductor chocó y rompió el parachoques trasero. |
You might also need to look under the hood (el capó).
| Probably the problem is under the hood of the car. | Probablemente el problema esté debajo del capó del coche. |
Towing and repairs
Finally, you may need to tow (remolcar) the car to a garage or install a spare part (el repuesto).
| The tow truck towed our car to the garage. | La grúa remolcó nuestro coche hasta el taller. |
| We were about to install the spare part yesterday. | Estábamos a punto de instalar el repuesto ayer. |
