Log inSign up

Guardo el hilo dental en el estuche para no olvidarlo cuando viajo.

Guardo el hilo dental en el estuche para no olvidarlo cuando viajo.
I keep the dental floss in the case so I don’t forget it when I travel.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Spanish now

Questions & Answers about Guardo el hilo dental en el estuche para no olvidarlo cuando viajo.

Why is guardo used, and what tense/person is it?

Guardo is the first-person singular (yo) form of guardar in the present tense.
So it means I keep / I store / I put away (as a habitual action or something generally true):

  • Yo guardo = I keep/store
What does guardar imply here—save, keep, store, or put?

In this context, guardar usually means to put away / store / keep (in a specific place).
It’s not save in the computer sense (though it can mean that too), and it’s not keep in the sense of maintain. It’s more like:

  • I keep my floss in the case…
Why does it say el hilo dental? Why not just hilo dental?

Spanish commonly uses the definite article (el/la/los/las) with everyday objects when speaking generally or habitually.
So Guardo el hilo dental… is very natural.

You can drop the article in some contexts (more like a list or very general statement), but it often sounds less natural here.

Is hilo dental masculine? How do I know?

Yes: el hilo dental is masculine because the head noun is hilo (thread), which is masculine: el hilo.
Dental is just an adjective describing what kind of hilo it is.

What exactly is un estuche in Latin American Spanish?

Estuche means a case/pouch/container, often something like a small protective case. Depending on context, it could be:

  • a toothbrush/floss case
  • a small travel pouch
  • a pen/pencil case (very common meaning)

For toiletries, some people might also say neceser (toiletry bag), but estuche is still understandable.

Why is it en el estuche and not a el estuche?

Because en expresses location: in/inside.

  • Guardo X en Y = I store/keep X in Y

A usually marks direction or recipient (to/toward), not the location where something is kept.

Also note: a el would contract to al (unless El is a name/title).

How does para no olvidarlo work grammatically?

Para + infinitive is used when the subject stays the same (I do both actions):

  • Guardo… para no olvidar… = I store it… in order not to forget…

The no goes right before the infinitive: no olvidarlo.

If the subject changed, you’d typically use para que + subjunctive instead.

What does -lo refer to, and why is it attached to the verb?

Lo is a direct object pronoun meaning it, and it refers to el hilo dental (the floss).

With an infinitive, Spanish commonly attaches the pronoun to the end:

  • olvidar + lo → olvidarlo = to forget it

You generally cannot place it like English (para no lo olvidar is not standard).

Why is it cuando viajo (present) and not something like cuando viajaré?

In Spanish, after cuando, the present tense is often used for habitual/repeated actions:

  • cuando viajo = when(ever) I travel

If you mean a specific future trip (not a habit), Spanish often uses subjunctive:

  • cuando viaje = when I travel (in the future / next time I travel)

Both can be correct depending on meaning.

Could I say para no olvidarme de él instead of para no olvidarlo?

Yes, that’s another natural option, but it has a slightly different structure:

  • olvidarlo = to forget it (direct object)
  • olvidarme de él = to forget about it (reflexive + de)

For an object like floss, para no olvidarlo is very straightforward and common.