Help translating "se echarán"

Question

The excerpt is "se echarán a perder los avances conseguidos". To give context this is the full sentence "Si no hacemos nada, las organizaciones dedicadas a las ayuda humanitaria se verán y se echarán a perder los avances conseguidos en el campo de la salud pública." The piece itself is about global warming and the effects and causes. I understand the meaning of the other words bar se echarán and it seems to be a verb with multiple meanings depending on the contest. Any help would be fantastic.

se echarán a "perder" - 0074b507, Mar 31, 2011

Thanks for pointing that out :) Gracia - AeryFaery, Mar 31, 2011

Answer 1

echar

• echarse a perder -> to go off, to spoil; (comida) to fall through (plan)

without the se

echar a perder -> to ruin; (vestido, alimentos, plan) to waste (ocasión)

Thank you sooo much. This q has been irking me constantly. Muchas gracias :) - AeryFaery, Mar 31, 2011

Answer 2

I hope this would be useful to you:

Echar a + infinitivo:

Empezar a realizar la acción indicada por el infinitivo.

El pajaró echó a volar.

The bird began to fly. The bird flew away.

El niñó se echó a llorar.

The kid bursted in tears.

Great! - pesta, Mar 31, 2011

It's "burst into tears" actually. - Oramasdude, Mar 31, 2011