drenar el agua
/dɾenaɾ el aɡwa/from spelling rules
To drain water in Spanish is drenar el agua.
The phrase is used to describe the action of removing water from a container or a specific area by allowing it to flow out through an opening or a pipe.
Which one should you use?
While drenar el agua is a standard way to express the action, you can use the single verb desaguar specifically when the water is flowing out through a drain or an outlet. The plural form drenar las aguas is used when you are referring to different bodies of water or various specific types of water flows.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase drenar el agua, the masculine article el is used with the feminine noun agua to avoid a phonetic clash between the two vowels. This is a standard grammatical rule for this noun in the singular. For different bodies of water, you may use the plural las aguas.
How do you pronounce it?
/dɾenaɾ el aɡwa/
Did you know?
- In some regions, talking about 'draining the water' using desaguar can also metaphorically refer to a place becoming empty of people.
- The Spanish verb drenar is actually a loanword that traveled from English to French before arriving in Spanish.
- In Spanish, using the plural las aguas often changes the meaning from a simple liquid to referring to specific environmental flows or waste systems.
Examples in context
- Drenar el agua es una técnica efectiva para evitar inundaciones.Draining the water is an effective technique to prevent flooding.
- Es vital vaciar el agua de la piscina antes de su limpieza.It is crucial to drain the water from the pool before cleaning it.
- Antes de la reparación, es fundamental extraer el agua del sistema.Before the repair, it is crucial to drain the water from the system.
- No olvides sacar el agua del recipiente antes de su almacenamiento.Don't forget to drain the water from the container before storing it.
- Se recomienda extraer el agua del lavaplatos antes de realizar el servicio técnico.It is recommended to drain the water from the dishwasher before servicing.
- ¿Puedes tirar el agua del cubo, por favor?Can you drain the water from the bucket, please?
- Vacá el agua del balde antes de guardar los útiles de limpieza.Drain the water from the bucket before storing the cleaning supplies.
- Al botar el agua del florero, ten cuidado con las flores.When pouring out the water from the vase, be careful with the flowers.
- Hay que drenar el agua estancada.The stagnant water must be drained.
- Tenemos que drenar el agua de la piscina.We have to drain the water from the pool.
- Es difícil drenar el agua de este tanque.It is difficult to drain the water from this tank.
- Usa la bomba para drenar el agua rápidamente.Use the pump to drain the water quickly.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are in the garden after a heavy rain.
- Daniel¿Cómo podemos drenar el agua del jardín?How can we drain the water from the garden?
- SofíaDebemos usar una manguera para sacarla.We should use a hose to take it out.
- DanielEs buena idea, Sofía.That is a good idea, Sofía.
- SofíaYo buscaré la manguera ahora mismo.I will look for the hose right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, drenar, el, CC BY-SA 4.0.
