Breakdown of Guardo el cargador en el cajón.
yo
I
en
in
guardar
to keep
el cajón
the drawer
el cargador
the charger
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Questions & Answers about Guardo el cargador en el cajón.
What exactly does guardo mean here, and how is it conjugated?
Guardo is the first-person singular present of guardar. It most commonly means “I put away,” “I keep,” or “I store.” So the sentence can mean either “I keep the charger in the drawer” (habitually) or “I’m putting the charger away in the drawer” (right now), depending on context. Other forms:
- Infinitive: guardar (to put away/keep/store/save)
- He/she/you formal (present): guarda
- Past (preterite, I): guardé
- Past (imperfect, I): guardaba
- Future (I): guardaré
Why use guardar instead of poner or meter?
- Guardar implies putting something away for safekeeping or to its usual place (storing).
- Poner is neutral “to put/place” anywhere.
- Meter emphasizes putting something inside a container. All are possible in some contexts, but to express “put away/keep (in its place),” guardar is the most natural.
Does the Spanish present tense here mean “right now” or “usually”?
Both are possible. Spanish simple present can express a current action or a habitual action. Context or adverbs clarify:
- Habit: Siempre guardo el cargador en el cajón.
- Right now: Ahora guardo el cargador en el cajón. You can also use the progressive: Estoy guardando el cargador en el cajón.
How do I say it in the past or with the progressive?
- Preterite (completed past): Guardé el cargador en el cajón.
- Imperfect (used to/was keeping): Guardaba el cargador en el cajón.
- Present perfect (I have put it away): He guardado el cargador en el cajón.
- Progressive (I’m putting it away): Estoy guardando el cargador en el cajón.
Why is it el cargador and not mi cargador?
Spanish often uses the definite article when the reference is clear from context. Guardo el cargador en el cajón can naturally refer to “the (known/my) charger.” If you need to emphasize ownership, use mi cargador.
Can I say un cargador instead of el cargador?
Yes, but it changes the meaning. El cargador points to a specific/known charger (likely yours). Un cargador means “a charger” (one of several, not specific). Use whichever matches your intent.
How do I replace el cargador with a pronoun?
Use the direct object pronoun lo (masculine singular): Lo guardo en el cajón. In Latin America, use lo (not le) for things.
Can I also replace en el cajón with a pronoun or adverb?
- Adverbs are common: Lo guardo ahí/allí/adentro.
- You can say en él to refer back to a previously mentioned masculine noun (like cajón): Lo guardo en él. It’s grammatical but less common than repeating the noun or using ahí/allí.
Why en and not a, dentro de, or sobre?
- En covers “in/on/at” and is used for both location and final place with verbs like guardar, poner, meter: …en el cajón.
- Dentro de emphasizes “inside”: …dentro del cajón.
- A marks direction to places with motion verbs (ir a), but with guardar you say en, not a.
- Sobre/encima de mean “on (top of)”: …sobre/encima del cajón (on the drawer).
Can I change the word order?
Yes, for emphasis or focus:
- Neutral: Guardo el cargador en el cajón.
- Emphasize location: En el cajón guardo el cargador.
- Marked but possible: Guardo en el cajón el cargador. Meaning stays the same; the focus shifts.
What are regional words for “drawer”?
- Cajón is widely understood across Latin America.
- Gaveta is very common in the Caribbean and parts of Venezuela/Central America.
- The furniture with multiple drawers can be cómoda or cajonera.
Pronunciation tips for guardo el cargador en el cajón?
- guar- sounds like “gwar-.”
- Single r between vowels is a tap [ɾ], quick “r.”
- j in cajón is a harsh “h” (throaty), like Spanish j.
- d between vowels (as in cargador) softens to a light “th/d” sound.
- Stress: GUAR-do el car-ga-DOR en el ca-JÓN (note the accent on -jón).
Why does cajón have an accent?
Because it’s stressed on the last syllable and ends in -n. Spanish rules require a written accent in that case to mark the stress: cajón. Contrast:
- guardo (no accent; stress naturally on the second-to-last syllable)
- guardó (accent marks past he/she/you-formal: “put away”)
What’s the difference between guardo and guardó?
- Guardo = I keep/put away (present).
- Guardó = he/she/you (formal) kept/put away (preterite). The accent changes both stress and meaning.
Could cargador mean something other than a phone charger?
Yes. Cargador can be any charger (laptop, camera), and it can also mean a gun magazine in many contexts. If needed, specify: cargador del celular, cargador de laptop, etc. In Latin America, celular is more common than móvil.
Are there contractions I should know here?
- en el does not contract.
- a el contracts to al; de el contracts to del. So you’d say en el cajón, but del cajón (“from the drawer”).
How do commands with pronouns work here?
- Affirmative tú: Guárdalo en el cajón. (Note the written accent to keep the stress.)
- Negative tú: No lo guardes en el cajón.
- With infinitives/gerunds, the pronoun can go before or attached:
- Lo voy a guardar / Voy a guardarlo en el cajón.
- Lo estoy guardando / Estoy guardándolo en el cajón.