Breakdown of Guardo las verduras en la nevera para que no se dañen durante la semana.
Questions & Answers about Guardo las verduras en la nevera para que no se dañen durante la semana.
In this context, «guardar» means to put something away / to store it in its place.
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera = I store/keep the vegetables in the fridge (this is where they belong to be preserved).
- Pongo las verduras en la nevera = I put the vegetables in the fridge. This is also correct and very common, but it focuses more on the action of placing them there right now.
- Mantengo las verduras en la nevera would sound more like I keep/maintain the vegetables in the fridge (less natural here).
So «guardar» adds the nuance of putting something away to keep it safe or in good condition, which fits with the idea of avoiding spoilage.
Spanish uses definite articles more often than English, even when speaking in general or about a specific set of things.
- «Guardo las verduras en la nevera…»
Here, «las verduras» usually means “the vegetables I have / the vegetables I bought”, even if they haven’t been explicitly mentioned before in the conversation. Spanish tends to mark that set with «las».
You could see «Guardo verduras en la nevera», but:
- With the article (las), it sounds like a specific, known group of vegetables (the ones you have at home).
- Without the article, it can sound more indefinite or generic, like a general habit: I put vegetables (in general) in the fridge.
In everyday speech, «Guardo las verduras…» is more natural.
Both can mean vegetables, but usage varies by country:
In many places:
- «Verduras» = leafy or green vegetables (lettuce, spinach, etc.), but it’s also used loosely for all vegetables in everyday speech.
- «Vegetales» = technically vegetables in a broader, more neutral or sometimes more “formal”/technical way.
Country differences (very general tendencies):
- Mexico, Central America: Both «verduras» and «vegetales» are understood; «verduras» is very common in daily conversation.
- Colombia, Venezuela, etc.: «verduras» is also common; «vegetales» may sound a bit more formal or technical.
- Southern Cone (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile): You’ll also hear «verduras» a lot.
In your sentence, «verduras» is perfectly natural and common across Latin America.
Yes, both refer to “the fridge.” The word varies by country/region:
- nevera: common in many Latin American countries (e.g., Colombia, Venezuela, parts of the Caribbean) and understood widely.
- refrigerador / refri: very common in Mexico and many other countries.
- heladera: common in Argentina and Uruguay.
- frigorífico: more common in Spain and more formal/technical.
All of these mean “refrigerator / fridge,” and people will usually understand any of them. The sentence uses «la nevera», which is a natural Latin American choice.
Because «para» and «para que» introduce different kinds of complements:
«para» + infinitive (same subject):
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera para conservarlas.
I keep the vegetables in the fridge to preserve them.
Same subject: yo guardo / yo conservarlas.
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera para conservarlas.
«para que» + conjugated verb (subjunctive) (often different subject, or at least a separate clause):
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera para que no se dañen.
I keep the vegetables in the fridge so that they don’t get spoiled.
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera para que no se dañen.
Here:
- Main clause subject: yo (I).
- Subordinate clause subject: ellas (las verduras).
Because we’re introducing a separate clause with its own subject, Spanish uses «para que» + subjunctive.
After «para que», Spanish normally uses the subjunctive, because it introduces:
- Purpose, intention, desired result, something that hasn’t happened yet and is not certain.
So:
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera para que no se dañen.
I keep the vegetables in the fridge so that they don’t get spoiled.
→ Expresses purpose/intention → subjunctive (se dañen).
If you said «para que no se dañan», it would sound incorrect or at least very strange to native speakers; «para que» → subjunctive is the rule here.
Here, «se» turns «dañar» (to damage, to harm) into a kind of reflexive / middle voice, meaning “to become damaged / to get spoiled”.
- dañar algo = to damage something (someone/something causes the damage).
- algo se daña = something gets damaged / goes bad / spoils (it happens to it, without specifying who caused it).
So:
- No se dañen = (that) they don’t get spoiled / don’t go bad.
- It emphasizes the result on the vegetables themselves, not who or what “damages” them.
All can refer to food going bad, but with slightly different nuance/usage:
dañar / dañarse:
- More general “to damage / to get damaged.”
- For food, in many places it naturally means to spoil.
- «La comida se dañó» = The food went bad.
echarse a perder:
- Very common and natural for food.
- Literally: “to throw itself away / to lose itself,” but used as “to spoil / to go bad.”
- «La leche se echó a perder.» = The milk went bad.
descomponerse:
- Also used for food in some regions to mean to spoil / rot.
- In other contexts, it can mean “to break down” or “to stop working” (for machines, etc.).
In many Latin American countries, you could say any of these for food:
- Para que no se dañen.
- Para que no se echen a perder.
- Para que no se descompongan.
All would be understood as “so that they don’t spoil.”
Yes, that’s very natural.
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera para que no se echen a perder.
= I keep the vegetables in the fridge so that they don’t go bad.
Both «para que no se dañen» and «para que no se echen a perder» are common in Latin America.
If anything, «echarse a perder» sounds especially idiomatic when talking about food spoiling.
«Durante» is the most natural preposition here for “during (the course of) the week.”
- Durante la semana = throughout the week / during the week.
«Por la semana» is not standard in this meaning. If you want alternatives:
- toda la semana = all week (emphasizes the entire duration).
- esta semana = this week (specific to this current week).
- en la semana = in some countries (e.g., Mexico), this can mean “during the week, on weekdays” in contrast to the weekend, but it’s more about workweek vs weekend, not exactly the same nuance as “throughout the week.”
In your sentence, «durante la semana» is the clearest and most neutral.
Because the verb «guardar» in the sense of “store/keep in (a place)” normally uses «en»:
- Guardar algo en un lugar = to keep/store something in a place.
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera.
- Guardo los documentos en el cajón.
«A» would suggest movement towards a destination (to, toward), as with «ir a» or «llevar a»:
- Llevo las verduras al refrigerador. = I take the vegetables to the fridge.
But with «guardar», the standard preposition is «en» when specifying where they are being stored.
In Spanish, the present simple is very commonly used for:
- Habits and routines
- General statements about what you usually do
«Guardo las verduras en la nevera…» is understood as:
- I (normally) keep/store the vegetables in the fridge…
- It can describe a regular habit.
«Estoy guardando las verduras en la nevera…» would emphasize an action happening right now:
- I’m putting the vegetables in the fridge (right now) so that they don’t get spoiled…
Both are grammatically correct, but:
- For a general habit → present simple («guardo») is natural.
- For an action in progress right now → present progressive («estoy guardando»).
Yes, that’s completely correct and natural.
Both of these are fine:
- Guardo las verduras en la nevera para que no se dañen durante la semana.
- Para que no se dañen durante la semana, guardo las verduras en la nevera.
Spanish allows you to move the subordinate clause (with «para que…») to the beginning for emphasis or style, especially in writing or more careful speech. The meaning does not change.