Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi madre prefiere barrer con la escoba y luego pasar un trapo. - My mother prefers to sweep with the broom and then use a cloth.

In Spanish, when one verb comes directly after another and the first one expresses desire, preference, ability, etc., the second verb stays in the infinitive form.

Preferir
- infinitive
  - Mi madre prefiere barrer. = My mother prefers to sweep.
  - Not: ❌ Mi madre prefiere barre.

Other common patterns:

Quiero comer. (I want to eat.)
Sé nadar. (I know how to swim.)

So after prefiere, you keep barrer in the infinitive, not conjugated.

Why is it “con la escoba” and not “con escoba” or “con el escoba”?

Gender:
- Escoba is a feminine noun: la escoba, not el escoba.
Article use:
In Spanish, you usually use a definite article with tools and instruments when you mean “the broom (that we normally use / that’s around)”:
- Barrer con la escoba = to sweep with the broom.
  Saying just con escoba is possible but sounds a bit more generic or stylistic; everyday speech prefers con la escoba.
Comparison:
- Toco la guitarra. = I play the guitar.
- Escribo con el bolígrafo. = I write with the pen.

So con la escoba is the normal, natural choice.

What exactly does “pasar un trapo” mean? Is it literally “to pass a cloth”?

Literally, yes: pasar un trapo = “to pass a cloth (over something)”.
Idiomatic meaning: to wipe / to go over a surface with a cloth to clean it.

Examples:

Pasar un trapo por el suelo. = Wipe / go over the floor with a cloth.
Pásale un trapo a la mesa. = Wipe the table with a cloth.

In terms of cleaning, depending on the surface it can be like:

wiping (a table, shelves, counters),
sometimes mopping if the “cloth” is on a mop or similar.

The verb pasar here means “to move something over a surface” (similar to English run a cloth over it).

Is “pasar un trapo” the usual way to say “mop the floor” in Spain?

Not exactly. In Spain, people more commonly say:

Fregar el suelo. = Mop / scrub the floor.
Pasar la fregona. = Use the mop (fregona) on the floor.
Pasar la mopa. = Use a dust mop / dry mop.

Pasar un trapo is more generic: “wipe with a cloth”. It can refer to:

wiping tables, furniture, counters,
or, with context, wiping the floor (e.g. with a cloth or rag).

So your sentence means she prefers to sweep, and then wipe (likely the floor or some surface) with a cloth, but it doesn’t specifically say fregar el suelo.

Why is it “pasar un trapo” and not just “trapo” or “el trapo”?

Spanish usually needs a determiner (article or similar) before a singular countable noun.

✅ un trapo = a cloth / a rag
✅ el trapo = the cloth / the rag
❌ pasar trapo (without article) – this sounds incomplete in standard Spanish.

The choice between un and el depends on meaning:

pasar un trapo – some cloth, not specifying which one.
pasar el trapo – a specific cloth already known in the context (the one we usually use).

In the sentence, un trapo keeps it general: she prefers to wipe with a cloth.

Why is it “mi madre” and not “la mi madre” like in some other languages?

In standard Spanish, possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su, nuestro…) normally replace the definite article:

mi madre (my mother)
tu casa (your house)
su coche (his/her/their car)

You do not say:

❌ la mi madre
❌ el mi coche

The structure article + possessive exists only in some regional or archaic varieties and is not standard modern Spanish. So mi madre is the correct normal form.

Is there a difference between “mi madre” and “mi mamá”?

Yes, it’s mainly about formality and tone:

mi madre – more neutral or slightly formal; what you’d often say in narration, or to people outside the family.
mi mamá – more informal, affectionate; similar to “my mom” or “my mum”.

Both are correct. In a sentence like this, either is possible:

Mi madre prefiere barrer… (neutral)
Mi mamá prefiere barrer… (more informal / childlike / affectionate)

What’s the difference between “luego” and “después” here? Could I say “y después pasar un trapo”?

Yes, you can. Both work:

…y luego pasar un trapo.
…y después pasar un trapo.

Both mean “and then wipe with a cloth.”

Nuances (often very small in practice):

luego – very commonly used in speech; often simply “then / later”.
después – also “after(wards)”; sometimes feels a bit more neutral or formal.

In this sentence they are practically interchangeable. Native speakers freely switch between them.

Can I move “luego” to another place, like “y pasar luego un trapo”?

Yes. Common options:

Mi madre prefiere barrer con la escoba y luego pasar un trapo.
Mi madre prefiere barrer con la escoba y pasar luego un trapo.
Mi madre prefiere barrer con la escoba y, luego, pasar un trapo. (with commas, more written style)

All are grammatically correct. Sentence 1 is probably the most natural in everyday speech. Changing the position of luego can slightly change the rhythm or emphasis, but the meaning stays the same.

Why is the verb “prefiere” and not “prefiera” or “preferí”?

Prefiere is the third person singular, present indicative of preferir.
- Mi madre prefiere = My mother prefers.

You use present indicative to state general facts or habits:

Mi madre prefiere barrer… = As a rule, she prefers to sweep…

Other forms:

prefiera – present subjunctive (used after certain expressions, not here)
- Quiero que mi madre prefiera barrer.
preferí – past (yo, preterite)
- Ayer yo preferí barrer.

In your sentence you’re describing her general preference, so prefiere (present indicative) is correct.

What kind of verb is “preferir”? Why does it become “prefiere” and not “prefer-e”?

Preferir is a stem‑changing verb (also called a “boot verb”) in the present tense. The e in the stem changes to ie in some forms:

yo prefiero
tú prefieres
él / ella / usted prefiere
nosotros preferimos (no change)
vosotros preferís (no change)
ellos / ustedes prefieren

So with mi madre (she), you get:

Mi madre prefiere…

The stem changes from prefer‑ to prefier‑ in that form.

Could I say “Mi madre prefiere barrer y luego pasar trapo” without “un”?

In standard Spanish, that sounds incomplete or non‑native. You normally need an article:

✅ pasar un trapo
✅ pasar el trapo
❌ pasar trapo (in most varieties)

There are a few set expressions in Spanish where nouns appear without articles, but trapo here is not one of them. So keep un (or el if it’s a specific cloth).