Las abejas del jardín son importantes para las flores, aunque a veces no las soportamos cerca.

Del is the contraction of de + el. So:

• de el jardín → del jardín

“Las abejas del jardín” literally means “the bees of the garden” (the bees that belong to / come from that garden).

You could also say:

• Las abejas en el jardín = the bees in the garden (focused on their location)
• Las abejas del jardín = the bees of the garden (they are associated with that garden, almost like “the garden’s bees”)

Both are possible, but del jardín feels a bit more like they’re “the garden’s bees,” not just any bees that happen to be there.

This is the ser vs. estar difference.

• ser = essential, general, or lasting characteristic
• estar = temporary state or condition

In “Las abejas del jardín son importantes para las flores”, we’re talking about a general, permanent role that bees have in relation to flowers (pollination, etc.). That’s a classic case for ser:

• Las abejas son importantes. = Bees are important. (always true in general)

“Están importantes” is almost never used; it would sound wrong here.

Spanish usually uses a definite article when talking about categories or things in general, where English often leaves it out:

• Las abejas son importantes. = Bees are important.
• Los perros son fieles. = Dogs are loyal.
• Las flores son bonitas. = Flowers are beautiful.

So:

• Las abejas del jardín son importantes para las flores
  = “Bees in the garden are important for flowers,” in a general sense, but Spanish keeps las.

This is a false friend.

• English “support” = to back up, help, hold up
• Spanish “soportar” = to tolerate, put up with, stand

So in this sentence:

• no las soportamos ≈ “we can’t stand them” / “we can’t put up with them”

To say “support” (in the sense of helping someone), Spanish uses verbs like:

• apoyar (to support a person, cause)
• mantener / sostener (to support financially or physically)

Las is a direct object pronoun, feminine plural.

It stands for a feminine plural noun mentioned before:

• Las abejas del jardín → feminine plural (las
  • abejas)

So:

• no las soportamos = “we can’t stand them”
• las = the bees

It does not refer to las flores, because the whole second part is about our reaction to the bees being close. The logical and most recent feminine plural subject in context is las abejas.

In Spanish, object pronouns (like lo, la, los, las, me, te, nos) usually go:

• before a conjugated verb:
  • No las soportamos. = We can’t stand them.
  • Lo veo. = I see him/it.

They can go after, attached to the verb, only in certain forms:

• infinitives: soportarlas (to stand them)
• gerunds: soportándolas (standing/putting up with them)
• positive commands: ¡Sopórtalas! (Put up with them!)

But here we have a normal conjugated verb (soportamos), so the pronoun must go before:

• No las soportamos cerca. ✅
• No soportamoslas cerca. ❌ (incorrect)

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, nosotros, etc.) are often dropped, because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is:

• soporto = I put up with
• soportas = you put up with
• soportamos = we put up with

So:

• (Nosotros) no las soportamos cerca.
  Both versions are correct. The nosotros is understood from -amos, so you don’t need to say it unless you want to emphasize:

• Nosotros no las soportamos, pero ellos sí.
  We can’t stand them, but they can.

Yes, you can say it, and the meaning is very close.

• No las soportamos cerca.
  = We can’t stand them when they’re close.
  (using the pronoun las, more compact, very natural)

• No soportamos a las abejas cerca.
  = We can’t stand bees when they’re close.
  (repeating the whole noun)

Notes:

• When the direct object is a specific group of people or animals, Spanish often uses the “a”:
  No soportamos a las abejas.
• In everyday speech, both structures are used. The version with las avoids repeating las abejas.

Both words introduce contrast, but in different ways:

• pero = but (simple contrast between two statements)
• aunque = although / even though (concession: “this is true, but despite that…”)

In the sentence:

• Las abejas… son importantes para las flores, aunque a veces no las soportamos cerca.

We’re saying:

1. Bees are important. (fact)
2. Despite that, we sometimes can’t stand them close.

That “even though / despite the fact that” idea is exactly what aunque expresses.
With pero, it would sound more like just a simple “but” without that concessive nuance.

With aunque, Spanish can use either indicative or subjunctive, depending on the meaning.

• Indicative (soportamos): a real, known fact

  • Aunque a veces no las soportamos cerca…
    = Even though (in fact) sometimes we can’t stand them close…

• Subjunctive (soportemos): something hypothetical, unknown, or conceded as possible

  • Aunque a veces no las soportemos cerca…
    = Even if sometimes we might not stand them close… (more hypothetical)

In your sentence, we’re talking about a real, observed behavior (“we do sometimes not stand them”), so indicative (soportamos) is the natural choice.

Cerca is an adverb meaning “near / close by”.

• Están cerca. = They are nearby.
• No te acerques, quédate cerca. = Don’t come closer, stay near.

In “no las soportamos cerca”, the full idea is:

• no las soportamos (cuando están) cerca (de nosotros)
  = we can’t stand them when they are close (to us)

Spanish often omits obvious parts like “de nosotros” when the context makes it clear. It’s understood that “near” means “near us.” You can say “cerca de nosotros”, but you don’t have to.

Yes, “a veces” (sometimes) is fairly flexible:

• A veces no las soportamos cerca. ✅ (very natural)
• No las soportamos cerca a veces. ✅ (less common, but acceptable)
• No, a veces, las soportamos cerca. ❌ (awkward word order)

The most natural positions are:

• Al principio de la oración:
  A veces no las soportamos cerca.
• Just before the main verb:
  No las soportamos a veces cerca. (possible, but not as usual)

The original:

• aunque a veces no las soportamos cerca
  is perfectly natural and clear.

In Spanish, every noun has grammatical gender (masculine or feminine), and it’s mostly arbitrary; you simply have to learn it with the word.

• la abeja / las abejas (bee) → feminine
• la flor / las flores (flower) → feminine

Some patterns help:

• Words ending in -a are often feminine (la casa, la abeja), but there are exceptions.
• Many words ending in -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, -tud are feminine (la nación, la ciudad).

But “abeja” and “flor” are feminine simply by convention. When you learn new nouns, it’s best to memorize them with their article:

• la abeja, la flor, el jardín, las flores, etc.