Ojalá el armario no estuviera tan lleno, porque ya no sé dónde guardar la ropa de invierno.

Because ojalá is expressing a wish about a situation that is not the way the speaker wants it to be. In Spanish, that usually triggers the subjunctive.

Here, Ojalá el armario no estuviera tan lleno means something like I wish the wardrobe/closet weren’t so full.

• está = indicative, for a straightforward statement about reality
• estaba = indicative, usually for describing a past situation
• estuviera = imperfect subjunctive, used here after ojalá to express an unreal or contrary-to-fact wish in the present

So the speaker is not simply describing the wardrobe; they are wishing reality were different.

Ojalá means I hope or if only, depending on context.

In this sentence, it is closer to if only or I wish, because the speaker is expressing frustration about the current situation.

A useful rule:

• Ojalá + present subjunctive = a hope that might still happen
  
  • Ojalá no esté tan lleno = Hopefully it isn’t so full / I hope it isn’t so full
• Ojalá + imperfect subjunctive = a wish about a present situation that is contrary to reality
  
  • Ojalá no estuviera tan lleno = I wish it weren’t so full

So ojalá often tells you that a subjunctive form is coming.

Both tan and muy can relate to degree, but they are used differently.

• muy lleno = very full
• tan lleno = so full

In this sentence, tan fits because the speaker is reacting to the result: the wardrobe is so full that they do not know where to put the winter clothes.

So the structure is:

• tan + adjective
• tan lleno = so full
• tan grande = so big
• tan difícil = so difficult

If you said muy lleno, the sentence would still make sense, but it would sound slightly less tied to the consequence that follows.

In Spanish, no normally goes directly before the verb it negates.

So:

• no estuviera = were not
• no sé = I don’t know

That is why you get:

• Ojalá el armario no estuviera tan lleno
• ya no sé dónde guardar...

English sometimes handles negatives differently, but in Spanish this placement is very regular.

Ya no sé literally means I no longer know, but in natural English here it often means I don’t know anymore.

The word ya often adds the idea of:

• now
• already
• any longer / anymore in negative contexts

So:

• sé = I know
• no sé = I don’t know
• ya no sé = I don’t know anymore / I no longer know

It suggests that the speaker has reached a point of frustration: there used to be options, but now they feel stuck.

Dónde guardar is a very common Spanish structure meaning where to put/store.

After verbs like saber, Spanish often uses:

• no sé qué hacer = I don’t know what to do
• no sé dónde ir = I don’t know where to go
• no sé dónde guardar la ropa = I don’t know where to store the clothes

So dónde + infinitive is completely natural.

As for guardarla, that would mean store it, but the sentence already includes the object explicitly: la ropa de invierno. Since the noun is stated, using the pronoun is unnecessary here.

You could also say:

• ya no sé dónde guardar la ropa de invierno
• ya no sé dónde poner la ropa de invierno

Both are natural, though guardar has more of a sense of put away/store.

Spanish often uses the definite article more than English does.

So where English might say:

• store winter clothes

Spanish often says:

• guardar la ropa de invierno

Here la ropa de invierno means the winter clothes or simply winter clothes, depending on context.

This is very common with general categories and everyday nouns:

• Me duele la cabeza = My head hurts
• Lávate las manos = Wash your hands
• Guardar la ropa = Put away the clothes

So the article is normal and expected.

Yes, ropa de invierno is a very normal way to say winter clothes.

Literally, it is:

• ropa = clothing / clothes
• de invierno = of winter / for winter

So la ropa de invierno means winter clothes or winter clothing.

Spanish often uses de + noun where English uses a noun as an adjective:

• ropa de invierno = winter clothes
• ropa de verano = summer clothes
• zapatos de deporte = sports shoes

In Spain, armario is a very common word. It can refer to:

• a wardrobe
• a closet
• a cupboard-like storage unit, depending on context

In this sentence, it most naturally suggests a wardrobe or clothes closet.

For a learner focusing on Spain Spanish, armario is the safest everyday word here. In other varieties of Spanish, you may also hear clóset or other regional terms, but armario is standard and widely understood.

Yes. Estuviera and estuviese are both forms of the imperfect subjunctive.

So these are both correct:

• Ojalá el armario no estuviera tan lleno
• Ojalá el armario no estuviese tan lleno

In modern everyday Spanish, -ra forms such as estuviera are generally more common, but -se forms are also correct and natural.

Porque means because and introduces the reason.

So the sentence structure is:

• Ojalá el armario no estuviera tan lleno = I wish the wardrobe weren’t so full
• porque ya no sé dónde guardar la ropa de invierno = because I don’t know where to store the winter clothes anymore

This second part explains why the speaker is making that wish.

Compare:

• porque = because
• por eso = that’s why / for that reason
• para = for / in order to

So porque is the correct choice to give the cause or explanation.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• guardar = to store, put away, keep
  This is the best fit when talking about clothes that need a place.
• poner = to put
  More general, less specifically about storage.
• meter = to put in / stuff in
  Often suggests physically putting something inside somewhere, sometimes a bit forcefully.

Examples:

• No sé dónde guardar la ropa de invierno = I don’t know where to store the winter clothes
• No sé dónde poner la ropa de invierno = I don’t know where to put the winter clothes
• No sé dónde meter la ropa de invierno = I don’t know where to cram/put the winter clothes

In this context, guardar sounds the most natural and appropriate.

Yes, que is often optional after ojalá.

Both are correct:

• Ojalá el armario no estuviera tan lleno
• Ojalá que el armario no estuviera tan lleno

The version without que is very common and natural. Adding que does not change the basic meaning; it is mostly a stylistic variation.