Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Pego las fotos con pegamento y refuerzo las esquinas con cinta. - I glue the photos and reinforce the corners with tape.

Pego is the first-person singular present indicative of pegar (I glue/stick). Spanish usually drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending shows it, so Yo pego… and Pego… mean the same unless you need emphasis on yo.

Could pego also mean “I hit”?

Yes. Pegar can mean “to glue/stick” or “to hit.” Context disambiguates:

Glue: Pego las fotos con pegamento (I glue the photos with glue).
Hit: Le pego a Juan (I hit Juan).
In your sentence, con pegamento makes the “glue” meaning clear.

Why is there no article before pegamento or cinta?

After con, Spanish often omits the article when you mean an instrument/material in general: con pegamento, con cinta, con agua. Use an article when referring to a specific one: con el pegamento que me diste, con la cinta azul.

Why is it las fotos if foto ends in -o?

Foto is short for fotografía, which is feminine, so it’s la foto / las fotos. Esquina is also feminine (la esquina / las esquinas), hence las esquinas.

Does the simple present here mean a habit or something happening right now?

Spanish simple present can mean either. It can be habitual or in-progress. If you want to stress “right now,” use the progressive: Estoy pegando las fotos y estoy reforzando las esquinas…

How do I say “I glue the photos to the album”?

Use pegar algo a algo (also pegar en is common):

Pego las fotos al álbum.
Pego las fotos en el álbum.
Both are heard; a focuses on attaching to a target, en on placing on a surface.

What’s going on with refuerzo? Is it irregular?

Refuerzo is the first-person singular present of reforzar (to reinforce). It has an o→ue stem change in the present:

yo refuerzo, tú refuerzas, él/ella refuerza, nosotros reforzamos, ustedes/ellos refuerzan.
In the preterite, there’s a spelling change in yo: reforcé (not “reforzé”).

Why just las esquinas and not las esquinas de las fotos?

Spanish often omits the possessor when it’s obvious from context. You can add it for clarity: refuerzo las esquinas de las fotos. Refuerzo sus esquinas also works, but sus can be ambiguous (his/her/their/your-formal).

Can I use pronouns instead of repeating nouns?

Yes. If las fotos are already known, you can say: Las pego con pegamento y les refuerzo las esquinas con cinta.

las = direct object (the photos)
les = indirect object (to them), a dative of possession highlighting whose corners they are.
Without les it’s still correct; les just makes the possession explicit.

Is cinta enough to mean adhesive tape, or should I say cinta adhesiva?

In many contexts cinta alone is understood as tape. For clarity or specificity, say cinta adhesiva. More specific types: cinta de embalaje (packing tape), cinta de enmascarar (masking tape).

What are common Latin American words for “glue” and “tape”?

Glue: pegamento is widely understood. Depending on the country you may also hear goma (glue), pegante (Colombia).
Tape: cinta (adhesiva) is standard. Brand-based terms also occur (e.g., Diurex in Mexico, Scotch in many places).

Is goma a safe synonym for pegamento everywhere?

Not everywhere. In several countries goma does mean “glue,” but in others it can mean “eraser” or “rubber band.” Pegamento is the safest pan–Latin American choice for “glue.”

Is esquina the right word for the corners of a photo? What about rincón?

Use esquina for the corner of an object or a street (outer corner). Rincón is an inside corner of a room or enclosed space. For a photo’s corners, esquinas is correct.

Can I reorder parts of the sentence?

Yes, Spanish allows flexibility as long as it stays clear. For example:

Pego con pegamento las fotos y refuerzo con cinta las esquinas.
Con pegamento pego las fotos y con cinta refuerzo las esquinas.
Keeping each verb close to its object is usually the most natural.

How would I say it in the past?

For a completed action (preterite): Pegué las fotos con pegamento y reforcé las esquinas con cinta.
For a habitual/ongoing past (imperfect): Pegaba las fotos con pegamento y reforzaba las esquinas con cinta.

Should y change to e before refuerzo?

No. Y only changes to e before words that begin with the “i” sound (including silent h + i), like e impresiones. Since refuerzo starts with an r, keep y: …pegamento y refuerzo….

How do you pronounce tricky parts like esquinas and refuerzo in Latin America?

esquinas: eh-SKEE-nas (the qu is a hard k sound).
refuerzo: reh-FWER-so (the ue is a diphthong; z sounds like s in most of Latin America).
cinta: SEEN-ta (the c before i is an s sound in Latin America).