Separamos la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico en bolsas de tela.

We separate organic waste, cardboard, and plastic into cloth bags.

Breakdown of Separamos la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico en bolsas de tela.

• en: in
• nosotros: we
• y: and
• de: of
• el plástico: the plastic
• la bolsa: the bag
• orgánico: organic
• separar: to separate
• la basura: the waste
• el cartón: the cardboard
• la tela: the cloth

Questions & Answers about Separamos la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico en bolsas de tela.

Why is there no subject pronoun nosotros? Why is it just Separamos and not Nosotros separamos?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, nosotros, etc.) are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Separamos clearly tells you the subject is we (nosotros).

• Adding nosotros is only needed for emphasis or contrast:

  • Nosotros separamos la basura, pero ellos no.
    We separate the rubbish, but they don’t.

In a neutral sentence like this, Nosotros would sound unnecessary or a bit emphatic.

Does separamos mean we separate or we are separating? Which English tense is it?

Spanish presente de indicativo (present indicative) covers several English uses:

• Habitual/general action:
  
  • Separamos la basura orgánica…
    = We separate organic waste… (as a routine / habit)
• Right now (depending on context):
  
  • Ahora mismo separamos la basura.
    = Right now we’re separating the rubbish.

So separamos can be translated as we separate or we are separating, depending on context. The Spanish form itself doesn’t change.

Why is it la basura orgánica and not plural las basuras orgánicas?

In Spanish, basura (rubbish/garbage) is normally treated as a mass noun (like water, sand in English), so it’s usually singular:

• la basura = (all) the rubbish
• la basura orgánica = organic rubbish/waste

You would only use las basuras in very specific contexts (e.g., different types of rubbish managed by a company), but for normal household rubbish, singular la basura is standard.

Why is it basura orgánica and not orgánico basura? How does adjective placement work here?

In Spanish, the default position for descriptive adjectives is after the noun:

• basura orgánica = organic rubbish
  (basura = noun, orgánica = adjective)

Putting the adjective before the noun is possible but tends to change the nuance, sound literary, or apply to special cases. Here, orgánica is just a normal descriptive adjective (type of rubbish), so it goes after the noun.

Why is orgánica feminine with an -a ending?

Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• basura is a feminine noun → la basura
• So the adjective must also be feminine → orgánica

Compare:

• el cartón reciclado (masculine singular)
• las botellas recicladas (feminine plural)

Here: la basura orgánica = feminine singular noun + feminine singular adjective.

Why do we repeat the article: la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico? Could it be la basura orgánica, cartón y plástico?

In careful, standard Spanish, it’s more natural to include the article with each separate item, especially when they are different types of things:

• la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico

If the items are very closely linked or form a fixed group, you might omit repeated articles, but here they are three distinct waste categories, so repeating el/la sounds clearer and more natural.

La basura orgánica, cartón y plástico is not wrong, but it sounds a bit less polished or slightly telegraphic.

Why is the conjunction y used here and not e? I thought y sometimes changes to e.

Spanish changes y to e only before words starting with the sound /i/ (spelled i- or hi- without a consonant after the h), to avoid the awkward i + i sound:

• padres e hijos
• agua e hielo

Here we have:

• … el cartón y el plástico …

plástico starts with /p/, not with an /i/ sound, so the normal y is used. There is no reason to change it to e.

Is separamos reflexive here? Should there be a nos like nos separamos?

No, separamos here is a normal transitive verb: we separate (something).

• Separamos la basura orgánica…
  → We separate organic waste… (we act on an object)

The reflexive form separarse means something like to separate (oneself), often used for people or groups:

• Nos separamos. = We split up / we separated.
• La pareja se separó. = The couple separated.

Since the subject here is we and the object is the rubbish, no reflexive pronoun is needed.

Why is the preposition en used in en bolsas de tela? Could it be a bolsas de tela or something else?

In this context, en means something like in / into / using and is the normal preposition for containers and locations:

• Pon la basura en la bolsa. = Put the rubbish in the bag.
• Guardamos la ropa en cajas. = We keep the clothes in boxes.

So:

• Separamos … en bolsas de tela.
  = We separate … in cloth/fabric bags (i.e., we put each category into cloth bags).

Using a bolsas de tela would sound wrong here; a is used more for direction (a la basura, a casa) or indirect objects.

What exactly does bolsas de tela mean? Is it “bags for fabric” or “bags made of fabric”?

The structure de + noun often indicates the material something is made of:

• bolsas de tela = bags made of fabric/cloth
• botellas de plástico = plastic bottles (bottles made of plastic)
• mesa de madera = wooden table

So here, bolsas de tela means cloth bags / fabric bags, not bags for fabric. If you wanted bags for clothes, you’d say bolsas para ropa.

Could we say Separamos en bolsas de tela la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico? Is that word order correct?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct, because Spanish allows some flexibility:

• Standard, most natural:
  
  • Separamos la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico en bolsas de tela.
• Alternative (with the place/manner earlier):
  
  • Separamos en bolsas de tela la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico.

The first version sounds more neutral and typical in everyday speech. The second version might be used for emphasis on in cloth bags or in more formal / written styles.

How do we know if separamos is present or past tense? Isn’t nosotros separamos the same in the past?

Yes, for nosotros, the present and simple past (pretérito indefinido) of separar look the same in form:

• Present: (nosotros) separamos = we separate / we are separating
• Past: (nosotros) separamos = we separated

You know which tense it is from context or time expressions:

• Normalmente separamos la basura…
  → Present (habit)
• Ayer separamos la basura…
  → Past (yesterday)

In your isolated sentence, without extra context, speakers usually interpret it as present, especially because waste separation is a habitual action.

Why isn’t there a personal a before la basura orgánica?

The personal a is used before direct objects that are specific people (or personified beings):

• Veo a María. = I see María.
• Ayudamos a los niños. = We help the children.

Here, the direct object is la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico, which are things, not people. So you do not use the personal a:

• Separamos la basura orgánica, el cartón y el plástico… ✅
• Separamos a la basura orgánica… ❌ (wrong)