Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): El guante evita que la pintura manche mi mano. - The glove prevents the paint from staining my hand.

In Spanish, verbs of preventing or avoiding (like evitar) require the conjunction que to introduce a subordinate clause. So you say evita que + [new clause], meaning “it prevents that….”

Why is manche in the present subjunctive instead of the indicative “mancha”?

Expressions of will, desire, or prevention (such as evitar que) trigger the subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause. Since you’re talking about stopping a potential action (the paint staining your hand), you use the present subjunctive manche rather than the indicative mancha.

Could I replace evitar que with impedir que here?

Yes, you can. Both evitar and impedir mean “to prevent,” but there’s a subtle nuance:

evitar often means “to avoid” in a general sense.
impedir suggests actively blocking or making something impossible.
In everyday speech they’re usually interchangeable.

What’s the difference between using para que + subjunctive and evita que + subjunctive?

para que
- subjunctive expresses purpose (“so that”). For example: “Me pongo el guante para que la pintura no manche mi mano.”
evitar que
- subjunctive focuses on the action of avoiding or preventing something (“to prevent that”). The meaning overlaps, but evitar que highlights the prevention itself.

Why is la pintura used with the definite article instead of just pintura?

Spanish often uses the definite article before general or uncountable nouns. Here, la pintura means “paint” in a general sense, much like in English we might say “the paint” when speaking about it as a substance.

Why does the sentence say mi mano instead of la mano?

Using the possessive mi specifies that it’s the speaker’s own hand. Without it, “la mano” would still be understood, but adding mi makes it clear and personal: “my hand.”

Why is guante singular? Don’t painters use two gloves?

Spanish often refers to protective items in the singular when talking about the concept or a single piece. El guante here means “the glove” as a protective tool. If you wanted to emphasize both, you could say los guantes, but singular is perfectly normal.

Can I swap the word order to Evita que manche la pintura mi mano?

No. Subordinate clauses in Spanish follow the pattern: que + subject (la pintura) + verb (manche) + object (mi mano). Changing that order would sound ungrammatical and confuse the meaning.

What’s the difference between manchar and ensuciar?

manchar means “to stain” or “to mark” something with a substance (like paint or ink).
ensuciar means “to dirty” more generally (dust, mud, grime).
Here, manchar is more precise because it’s about paint leaving a mark.