El filtro de pelusa protege la secadora.

El means the and is the masculine singular definite article.

It goes with filtro because filtro is a masculine singular noun:

• el filtro = the filter

In Spanish, nouns usually need an article more often than in English, especially in simple statements like this one.

De pelusa literally means of lint.

Spanish often uses de + noun where English might use a noun used like an adjective:

• filtro de pelusa = lint filter
• literally: filter of lint

This structure is extremely common in Spanish:

• jugo de naranja = orange juice
• cepillo de dientes = toothbrush
• máquina de coser = sewing machine

So filtro de pelusa is the natural way to say lint filter.

Pelusa usually means lint, fluff, or fuzz.

In this sentence, it refers to the soft fibers that collect in a dryer. So filtro de pelusa is specifically the part of the dryer that catches lint.

Depending on context, pelusa can also refer to:

• fuzz on fabric
• fine hair or fluff
• dust-like fibers

But here lint is the best translation.

Proteger is the infinitive, meaning to protect.

Protege is the conjugated form, meaning protects:

• el filtro = the subject
• protege = protects

It is the third-person singular present tense form of proteger because the subject is el filtro.

Conjugation:

• yo protejo
• tú proteges
• él/ella/usted protege

So:

• El filtro de pelusa protege la secadora.
• The lint filter protects the dryer.

Secadora is the standard word for dryer as a machine for clothes.

It is feminine:

• la secadora

Secador often means dryer too, but in many contexts it refers to a hair dryer or a drying device more generally. Regional usage can vary, but for a clothes dryer, secadora is very common and natural in Latin America.

So in this sentence:

• la secadora = the clothes dryer

Spanish articles change according to the gender of the noun.

Here:

• el filtro because filtro is masculine
• la secadora because secadora is feminine

Both mean the, but Spanish marks gender in articles.

Very common pattern:

• el libro = the book
• la mesa = the table

Yes, this sentence uses a very straightforward word order:

• El filtro de pelusa = subject
• protege = verb
• la secadora = direct object

So it follows the normal Subject + Verb + Object pattern, just like English:

• The lint filter protects the dryer.

That makes this sentence especially learner-friendly.

Because of the sentence structure.

In standard Spanish word order:

• the noun before the verb is usually the subject
• the noun after the verb is often the direct object

So:

• El filtro de pelusa = the thing doing the action
• protege = protects
• la secadora = the thing receiving the action

In other words, the filter protects the dryer.

Normally, no.

The personal a is generally used with specific people and sometimes pets or personified beings, not ordinary objects.

Since la secadora is a thing, you usually just say:

• protege la secadora

Compare:

• Protege a su hijo. = He/She protects his/her son.
• Protege la secadora. = It protects the dryer.

Because languages package ideas differently.

Spanish says:

• filtro de pelusa
• literally: filter of lint

But English normally says:

• lint filter

So even though de often means of, you should translate the whole expression naturally, not word by word.

Yes, depending on context, the Spanish present tense can sometimes correspond to English protects or is protecting.

However, in a general statement like this, the best translation is:

• The lint filter protects the dryer.

It sounds like a general fact or function, not an action happening right now.

Yes, it is related to protect. They come from the same Latin root, so they are cognates.

A rough pronunciation is:

• pro-TEH-heh in much of Latin America with a soft h-like sound for g before e
• more carefully: pro-TE-he

Important pronunciation point: In Spanish, g before e or i sounds like the Spanish j:

• protege
• general
• gente

So it does not sound like English pro-teg.

Yes. That is exactly how it sounds.

Using the simple present here suggests a general fact:

• the lint filter’s function is to protect the dryer

Spanish often uses the present tense this way, just like English:

• El agua hierve a 100 grados.
• Water boils at 100 degrees.

So El filtro de pelusa protege la secadora sounds like an instructional or explanatory statement.