Breakdown of Nos hemos dado cuenta de que el mecanismo está roto, puesto que no gira.
no
no / not
estar
to be (location/state)
que
that (relative pronoun, conjunction)
nos
to us / ourselves / us (direct object)
roto
broken
haber
to have (auxiliary)
girar
to turn
darse cuenta de
to realize
puesto que
given that
el mecanismo
the mechanism
Questions & Answers about Nos hemos dado cuenta de que el mecanismo está roto, puesto que no gira.
Why is there a de before que in nos hemos dado cuenta de que?
In Spanish, the expression is darse cuenta de (to realize something). When the 'something' you realize is a full clause starting with que (that), you must keep the preposition de. Dropping it to say nos hemos dado cuenta que is a grammatical error known as queísmo.
Why do we use está instead of es in el mecanismo está roto?
We use estar here because roto (broken) describes a physical state or condition that is the result of an action. Estar is used with past participles to indicate the result of a change, whereas ser would be used to form the passive voice or to describe inherent characteristics.
Why is the phrase puesto que followed by the indicative no gira instead of the subjunctive?
Puesto que means 'since' or 'given that' and introduces a cause or reason. Because it declares a known fact that is the actual reason for the main clause, it requires the indicative mood. You generally only use the subjunctive with causal connectors in specific negative constructions, like no porque.
Could I use the verb realizar here instead of darse cuenta?
No, darse cuenta (de) is the only way to say 'realize' when it means to notice or become aware of something. The Spanish verb realizar is a false friend; it means to carry out, execute, or make something a reality (such as carrying out a project or realizing a dream).
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