Quiero cuidar el planeta cada día.

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Breakdown of Quiero cuidar el planeta cada día.

• querer: to want
• el día: the day
• cada: each

Questions & Answers about Quiero cuidar el planeta cada día.

Why is it Quiero cuidar and not Quiero a cuidar (like English “want to care”)?

In Spanish you normally use verb + infinitive directly, without a preposition like a:

• Querer + infinitivo = to want to do something
  
  • Quiero cuidar… = I want to take care (of)…
  • Quiero comer. = I want to eat.

So you never say quiero a cuidar. The a is not needed here.

Why do we say el planeta and not just planeta?

In Spanish, singular countable nouns almost always need an article (el, la, un, una) unless there is a special reason not to use one.

When you talk about something in general, Spanish often uses the definite article:

• El perro es un buen amigo. = Dogs are good friends.
• El planeta here means the planet (in general).

You can’t say Quiero cuidar planeta; it sounds incomplete. It has to be Quiero cuidar el planeta.

Could I say Quiero cuidar del planeta instead of cuidar el planeta?