averió

Averió is the third-person singular preterite form of the Spanish verb averiar. The verb means to damage or to render something faulty, and it is used to describe causing a malfunction in machinery, equipment, or systems. In everyday use, averiar can be transitive (averió something) or intransitive when paired with a reflexive pronoun (se averió, meaning something malfunctioned).

Conjugation and usage notes: Averiar is a regular -ar verb in its preterite forms. For example, yo averié, tú averiaste, él averió, nosotros averiamos, vosotros averiasteis, ellos averiaron. The form averió is specifically the simple past used for third-person singular subjects, such as él, ella, or usted. The common intransitive construction se averió is widely used to indicate that a device or system broke down without specifying a direct agent, as in El coche se averió durante el viaje.

Typical contexts: Averiarse describes failures or faults in vehicles, engines, electrical networks, appliances, or industrial equipment. It can also be used more broadly to refer to any malfunction caused by damage. Related terms include avería (the noun for a breakdown or defect) and averiado (the adjective meaning damaged or faulty).

Examples:

- La tormenta averió la red eléctrica.

- El ascensor se averió y quedó inmovilizado.

- El motor se averió justo antes de llegar a la estación.

Etymology and related forms: Averiar derives from the noun avería, which denotes a defect or breakdown. The related adjective and nouns—averiado and avería—are commonly used to describe things that are damaged or malfunctioning and the fault itself, respectively.