Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura. - I want to separate the fresh fruit from the vegetables.

In Spanish, when one verb directly follows another and the first one expresses desire, intention, obligation, etc., the second verb is almost always in the infinitive form.

Pattern:

querer + infinitive = to want to do something
- Quiero separar = I want to separate
- Quiero comer = I want to eat
- Quiero descansar = I want to rest

Using quiero separo would be like saying “I want I separate”, which is ungrammatical in both Spanish and English. The second verb must stay in the base (infinitive) form: separar.

Does quiero sound too strong or rude in Spanish? Is it more like “I want” or “I’d like”?

Literally, quiero means “I want”, and it can sound quite direct, especially in requests.

In everyday conversation about your own plans or preferences, it’s totally natural:
- Quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura.
  = I want to separate the fresh fruit from the vegetables.
When asking for things (in a bar, shop, restaurant) in Spain, quiero can sound a bit blunt, especially if the tone isn’t soft. More polite alternatives are:
- Querría separar… (conditional: I would like to separate…)
- Quisiera separar… (more formal/polite: I would like to separate…)
- Me gustaría separar… (I would like to separate…)

So:

Talking about your own intention (like in this sentence): quiero is fine/natural.
Making a request to someone: querría, quisiera, me gustaría usually sound more polite.

Why is it la fruta and la verdura with “the”, when in English we usually say just “fruit” and “vegetables” without “the”?

Spanish and English use articles differently, especially for general or collective ideas.

In Spanish, you often use the definite article (el / la / los / las) to talk about things in general or as a category:

La fruta es sana.
= Fruit is healthy.
La verdura es importante en la dieta.
= Vegetables are important in the diet.

In English, you usually omit “the” in these general statements (fruit is…, vegetables are…), but Spanish keeps it.

In your sentence:

la fruta fresca and la verdura probably refer to specific fruit and vegetables in the context (e.g. the ones on the counter), not just the concepts in general.
Even so, using la is also consistent with the general Spanish tendency to mark these nouns with the definite article, whereas English often leaves it out.

You could say separar fruta fresca de verdura, but that sounds more like “separate some fresh fruit from (some) vegetables” and is less specific. With la, it’s more like “the fruit / the vegetables we’re talking about here.”

Why is it la fruta fresca and not las frutas frescas?

Both are possible, but they give slightly different nuances:

la fruta fresca
- Treats fruit as a mass/collective noun (like “fruit” in English, not “fruits”).
- Focus is on the whole category or pile of fruit as one group.
- Very natural when you’re talking about fruit in general or as a bulk:
  - Quiero comprar fruta fresca. = I want to buy fresh fruit.
las frutas frescas
- Emphasizes individual pieces or types of fruit, like apples, pears, bananas as separate items.
- Often used when you’re thinking in terms of varieties or separate pieces:
  - Quiero separar las frutas frescas de las que están pasadas.
    = I want to separate the fresh fruits from the ones that are overripe.

In your sentence, la fruta fresca is more neutral and common: you’re probably talking about the fruit as a whole group, not counting individual items or varieties. That’s why the singular la fruta is used.

Why is the adjective fresca placed after the noun (fruta fresca) instead of before it?

In Spanish, the default position of most adjectives is after the noun:

fruta fresca = fresh fruit
coche nuevo = new car
café caliente = hot coffee

Putting fresca before (fresca fruta) would sound odd or poetic and is not the normal, everyday way to say “fresh fruit.”

Some adjectives can go before the noun (and often change meaning a bit), such as:

un gran problema (a big/serious problem) vs un problema grande (a physically big problem)
una vieja amiga (an old friend / long-time friend) vs una amiga vieja (a friend who is old in age)

But fresco/fresca in the literal sense (“fresh” as in not old/rotten) normally goes after the noun: fruta fresca, pan fresco, pescado fresco.

Why is it fresca and not fresco? What is it agreeing with?

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

fruta is a feminine singular noun: la fruta
So the adjective must also be feminine singular: fresca

Patterns:

Masculine singular: fresco
- el pan fresco (fresh bread)
- el queso fresco (fresh cheese)
Feminine singular: fresca
- la fruta fresca (fresh fruit)
- la carne fresca (fresh meat)
Masculine plural: frescos
- los tomates frescos
Feminine plural: frescas
- las manzanas frescas

So you say la fruta fresca because fruta is feminine singular, and fresca has to match it.

Why do we use de in separar la fruta fresca de la verdura? Can we leave it out?

The verb separar normally follows the pattern:

separar X de Y = to separate X from Y

Examples:

Separé la ropa blanca de la ropa de color.
= I separated the white clothes from the coloured clothes.
Hay que separar el papel del plástico.
= We have to separate paper from plastic.

So your sentence:

Quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura.
= I want to separate the fresh fruit from the vegetables.

You cannot leave out de here.

✗ Quiero separar la fruta fresca la verdura. (incorrect)

Without de, it sounds like you’re listing two direct objects (separar la fruta fresca y la verdura, separate the fresh fruit and the vegetables), not indicating that one is being separated from the other.

Could I say Quiero separar la fruta fresca y la verdura instead? What’s the difference?

You can say Quiero separar la fruta fresca y la verdura, but the meaning changes slightly:

Quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura.
Focus: you want the fruit and the vegetables to be kept apart; “fruit” is being separated from “vegetables.”
Quiero separar la fruta fresca y la verdura.
This sounds more like:
“I want to separate the fresh fruit and the vegetables (from something else, or each into their own groups).”
It sounds like you are just listing two things you are separating, without explicitly saying that one is being separated from the other.

In most contexts where you mean “Keep the fruit apart from the vegetables,” de is the natural choice:
separar la fruta fresca de la verdura.

Is verdura the usual word in Spain? What about vegetales or vegetales / vegetales?

In Spain, the most common everyday word is la verdura (often plural: las verduras) for “vegetables” in general.

Me gustan mucho las verduras.
= I really like vegetables.

Other words:

vegetal / vegetales
- In Spain, this is used but sounds more technical or formal (biology, nutrition), or as an adjective:
  - aceite vegetal = vegetable oil
  - fibra vegetal = plant fibre
- In everyday speech, Spaniards usually prefer verdura(s).
In much of Latin America, people say los vegetales or las verduras, depending on country/region. Both are understood everywhere.

So for Spain, de la verdura is a very natural, standard way to say “from the vegetables.”

Why is it de la verdura and not just de verdura?

You can say de verdura in some contexts, but there is a difference in feel:

de la verdura
- Refers to specific vegetables already known in the context (e.g. the ones in your fridge or on the table).
- Sounds a bit more concrete and definite:
  - Quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura (que hemos comprado).
de verdura
- More generic, like “from vegetables (in general)”.
- You’re less clearly pointing to a specific set.

In the most typical concrete situation (you’re in the kitchen, pointing to actual fruit and vegetables), de la verdura is more natural because both groups (fruit and vegetables) are specific and visible to the speakers.

Why is there no yo in front of quiero? Is yo quiero wrong?

Yo quiero is not wrong; it’s perfectly correct. But in Spanish, the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.) is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject.

quiero = I want
quieres = you (singular informal) want
quiere = he/she/you (formal) want(s)

So:

Quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura.
= I want to separate the fresh fruit from the vegetables.

Adding yo:

Yo quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura.

This is also correct, but it often adds emphasis, like:

Yo quiero separar la fruta… (maybe contrasting with what someone else wants)

In neutral speech, Spanish speakers normally drop the subject pronoun unless they want to emphasize it or clarify who is doing the action.

Do we ever need the preposition a here, like separar a la fruta fresca?

No. The preposition a is not used here.

separar la fruta fresca: direct object, no a
The so‑called “personal a” is used mainly when the direct object is:
- A specific person or
- Sometimes a beloved animal

For example:

Separé a los niños del grupo.
= I separated the children from the group.
(children = people → a)

But fruit and vegetables are things, so you don’t use a:

Quiero separar la fruta fresca de la verdura. ✅
✗ Quiero separar a la fruta fresca de la verdura. (incorrect)