Protejo el perejil en particular.

Because protejo is the first-person singular present form of proteger.

The verb proteger follows a common spelling-change pattern:

• proteger → protejo
• dirigir → dirijo
• escoger → escojo

This happens because Spanish changes g to j before o so the pronunciation stays consistent.

Compare:

• proteger = the infinitive
• yo protejo = I protect
• tú proteges = you protect
• él/ella protege = he/she protects

So protejo is the correct yo form.

Spanish often omits subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

• Protejo el perejil en particular.
• Yo protejo el perejil en particular.

Both are correct, but the version without yo is usually more natural unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Yo protejo el perejil, pero ella protege el cilantro.

There, yo is useful because it contrasts with ella.

Spanish uses articles more often than English does.

Here, el perejil can mean:

• the parsley
• or parsley as a general noun, depending on context

English often drops the article with things like food or substances, but Spanish frequently keeps it.

So:

• Protejo el perejil sounds natural.
• Protejo perejil is much less natural in most contexts.

Also, perejil is a masculine noun, so it takes el in the singular.

Yes. In this sentence, perejil is masculine singular, which is why it uses el.

You would say:

• el perejil
• un perejil

Even though many nouns ending in -il can feel less predictable to learners, the correct gender here is simply something you learn with the noun: el perejil.

En particular means in particular or particularly.

In this sentence, it signals that out of several possible things, parsley is the one being singled out.

So the idea is something like:

• I protect parsley in particular
• Parsley is what I protect especially

It is a very common expression in Spanish and often works much like English in particular.

Putting en particular at the end is natural because it highlights the noun phrase that comes before it: el perejil.

So:

• Protejo el perejil en particular.

suggests: of all the things I protect, parsley is the one I mean especially.

You could move it for a slightly different rhythm:

• En particular, protejo el perejil.

That is also grammatical, but it sounds a bit more marked or formal.

Sometimes yes, but it is not always exactly the same in feel.

• Protejo el perejil en particular. = I protect parsley in particular.
• Protejo particularmente el perejil. = I particularly protect parsley.

The version with en particular is often the more natural choice when you are singling something out from a group.

Particularmente can sound a little more adverbial or formal depending on context.

That depends on what kind of protecting you mean.

• proteger = to protect, defend, shield from harm
• cuidar = to take care of, look after

So:

• Protejo el perejil suggests shielding it or keeping it safe.
• Cuido el perejil suggests tending it, looking after it, caring for it.

If you mean you water it, maintain it, and help it grow, cuidar may sound more natural. If you mean you defend it from damage, proteger fits well.

Because the personal a is generally used with people and sometimes pets or personified beings, not with ordinary things or plants.

So:

• Protejo el perejil. = correct
• Protejo a María. = correct

You do not use the personal a with perejil.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• protejo → pro-TE-ho
• el → el
• perejil → pe-re-HIL
• en particular → en par-ti-ku-LAR

A few helpful notes:

• The j in protejo and perejil is pronounced like a strong h sound in most of Latin America.
• The stress is on:
  • te in protejo
  • jil in perejil
  • lar in particular

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:

pro-TE-ho el pe-re-HIL en par-ti-ku-LAR

It is the present indicative.

So protejo means:

• I protect
• I am protecting (depending on context)
• sometimes even I do protect for emphasis

Spanish present tense often covers both the simple present and what English sometimes expresses with the progressive, depending on the situation.

Yes, to some extent.

These are possible:

• Protejo el perejil en particular.
• En particular, protejo el perejil.

Both are grammatical. The first one is the most straightforward. The second puts more focus on in particular at the beginning.

Spanish word order is somewhat flexible, but not all versions sound equally natural. The original sentence is a very normal way to say it.