averían

Averían is the present indicative, third-person plural form of the Spanish verb averiar, which means to damage, impair, or cause a malfunction. It is used to describe that someone or something damages another object (ellos averían la máquina) or, in transitive use, to indicate that they have broken or harmed something.

In most contexts, averiar is a regular -ar verb, and averían follows the standard pattern for the present tense in the third person plural. The form carries an acute accent on the í to mark the stress in this conjugation. While the literal meaning is to damage, the verb is commonly used with machines, devices, and systems to indicate faults or failures.

A frequent usage of this verb is intransitive when used with se to express that something breaks down or malfunctions on its own: las piezas se averían con el desgaste. The related noun avería denotes a fault, breakdown, or malfunction. The reflexive form averiarse is used when the subject experiences damage or a breakdown, as in se averió el equipo.

Dictionaries and grammar notes distinguish averiar from other verbs that describe failures or faults, and they connect it to related expressions such as quedar averiado (to remain damaged) or sufrir una avería (to suffer a fault). These terms are common in technical writing, maintenance contexts, and everyday language when referring to faulty equipment or machinery.