Breakdown of Pulsas este botón y la máquina se enciende.
y
and
se
himself / herself / themselves (reflexive)
este
this (m.sg., also esta, estos, estas, esto)
encender
to turn on; to light (a fire, a candle, a cigarette)
la máquina
the machine
el botón
the button
pulsar
to tap; to press (a button, a key)
Questions & Answers about Pulsas este botón y la máquina se enciende.
Why use "pulsas" (you press) instead of an imperative or the impersonal "se"?
Just like in English, Spanish often uses the informal second person (tú) to give conversational instructions or state general facts. Saying pulsas este botón is a very natural way to say "when you press this button" or "if one presses this button".
Could I use "presionas" or "aprietas" instead of "pulsas" here?
Yes, they are mostly interchangeable for pressing a button. However, pulsar is highly typical in Spain for buttons, keys, and digital interfaces. Apretar often implies squeezing or pressing with a bit more physical force, while presionar can sound slightly more formal.
I always mix up "este" and "esto". Why is it "este botón" here?
Este is the masculine singular adjective used right before a masculine noun like botón. You only use esto when the object is unidentified or abstract (like saying "What is this?" -> ¿Qué es esto?). Because the noun is explicitly named here, you must use este.
Why is it "se enciende" and not just "enciende"?
Encender normally means "to turn [something] on" (an action done to a direct object). Because the machine is changing state on its own without a direct object in this clause, we use the reflexive/pronominal form encenderse. It literally translates to "the machine turns itself on".
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