Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi hija tira sus viejos apuntes a la papelera cuando termina el curso. - My daughter throws her old notes in the bin when she finishes the course.

Mi hija tira sus viejos apuntes a la papelera cuando termina el curso.

My daughter throws her old notes in the bin when she finishes the course.

Breakdown of Mi hija tira sus viejos apuntes a la papelera cuando termina el curso.

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Questions & Answers about Mi hija tira sus viejos apuntes a la papelera cuando termina el curso.

Why does the sentence use tira? Could you also say echa, bota, or lanza?

In Spain, tirar is the most common everyday verb for throwing something away as well as physically throwing it.

tirar algo a la papelera = to throw something in the bin / to throw it away
echar can also mean “to throw in/put in,” so echar algo a la papelera is also possible in many contexts, but tirar is more typical for “to get rid of it”.
botar for “throw away” is more common in some Latin American countries, not in Spain.
lanzar means “to hurl/launch” (more physical throwing, like a ball). Lanzar los apuntes a la papelera would sound like she’s dramatically hurling them.

So tira here is the natural, neutral choice in Spain for “throws away / throws in the bin”.

Why is it a la papelera and not en la papelera?

The preposition changes the meaning:

a la papelera = to the bin / into the bin (movement towards a destination)
en la papelera = in the bin (location, no movement)

Since she is making the notes go into the bin, Spanish uses a to express that movement:

Tira sus viejos apuntes a la papelera.
She throws her old notes into the bin.

If you said:

Sus viejos apuntes están en la papelera.
Her old notes are in the bin.

then en is correct because it’s just describing location, not motion.

What exactly does papelera mean? Is it just “bin”?

In Spain:

una papelera is specifically a wastepaper basket or paper bin—a bin usually for paper and light rubbish, often in an office, classroom, or bedroom.
A more general word for a rubbish bin is cubo de basura or papelera de basura (for all kinds of trash).

So tirar los apuntes a la papelera conjures the image of a relatively small indoor bin, not a big outdoor dumpster.

What does apuntes mean here? Is it like “appointments”?

No. Apuntes almost always means class notes: the notes a student writes in a notebook when studying.

tomar apuntes = to take notes (in class)
repasar los apuntes = to review the notes

So sus viejos apuntes = her old (class) notes, not “her old appointments” or “her old messages.”

Why is the adjective before the noun (viejos apuntes) and not after (apuntes viejos)? Is there a difference?

Both orders are grammatically correct, but there is a nuance:

sus viejos apuntes (adjective before noun)
Often sounds more subjective or emotional: her old notes (you’re seeing them as “old, from another time”).
sus apuntes viejos (adjective after noun)
More neutral/descriptive: her notes which are old (factual description).

In practice, in this kind of everyday sentence, both could be used with almost no difference. The version with viejos apuntes is very natural and slightly more idiomatic here.

Why is it sus viejos apuntes and not los viejos apuntes?

Sus is a possessive determiner: it tells us whose notes they are.

sus viejos apuntes = her old notes
los viejos apuntes = the old notes (we don’t know or don’t care whose)

Because we’re talking specifically about my daughter’s notes, the possessive sus fits better. Without sus, the sentence could be about any old notes, not specifically hers.

Who does sus refer to here? Could it mean someone else’s old notes?

On its own, sus is ambiguous in Spanish:

sus can mean his, her, its, their, your (formal), and it always agrees in number with the thing possessed (apuntes, plural) not with the owner.

In this sentence:

Mi hija tira sus viejos apuntes…

the natural interpretation is:

sus = her (my daughter’s) notes, because mi hija is the only likely owner mentioned.

In another context, sus viejos apuntes could be his old notes or their old notes, but here the context clarifies it.

Why is it mi hija without an article, and not la mi hija?

In standard Spanish, you normally do not use an article with a possessive before a noun:

mi hija, tu casa, su coche, nuestro profesor

Using la mi hija is archaic or dialectal (heard in some regions, often rural or literary) and not standard modern Spanish.

So the normal form is simply:

Mi hija tira sus viejos apuntes…

Why is it cuando termina el curso (present indicative) instead of cuando termine el curso (subjunctive) or a future tense?

The present indicative termina is used because the sentence describes a habitual action:

Every time a course finishes, she throws away her notes.
It’s a repeated, regular pattern.

In Spanish:

For habitual/general actions with cuando: use present indicative in both clauses.
- Cuando mi hija termina el curso, tira sus viejos apuntes.
For a future, single, specific event (often still hypothetical or not yet realized), you use present subjunctive in the cuando-clause:
- Cuando mi hija termine el curso, tirará sus viejos apuntes.
  = When my daughter finishes the course (this future time), she’ll throw her old notes away.

So the given sentence is talking about what she normally does, not a one‑off future event.

Why is it el curso and not su curso in cuando termina el curso?

Spanish often uses the definite article instead of a possessive when the possessor is obvious from context, especially with:

parts of the body
clothes
some time periods, routines, and life stages (e.g. el colegio, el trabajo, el curso)

Here, it’s already clear we’re talking about my daughter’s course:

cuando (ella) termina el curso = when she finishes (her) course

Using su curso is not wrong, but it’s usually unnecessary and sounds a bit heavier. Native speakers often prefer el curso in this kind of school context.