Mi abuelo quiere podar el árbol.

After a conjugated verb like quiere (wants), Spanish normally uses an infinitive for the second verb: quiere podar = wants to prune.

So the pattern is:

• querer + infinitive
• quiero comer = I want to eat
• quieren salir = they want to leave

You do not usually conjugate both verbs in this structure.

Quiere is the third-person singular form of querer in the present tense.

Here is the relevant part of the conjugation:

• yo quiero = I want
• tú quieres = you want
• él/ella/usted quiere = he/she/you(formal) wants

Because mi abuelo is he, the sentence uses quiere.

In Spanish, possessive words like mi, tu, su, nuestro, etc. normally go directly before the noun, without an article.

So you say:

• mi abuelo = my grandfather
• mi casa = my house
• su libro = his/her book

You would not say el mi abuelo in normal modern Spanish.

Podar means to prune or to trim, especially for plants, trees, or bushes.

It is more specific than a general verb like cortar (to cut).

So:

• podar un árbol = to prune a tree
• cortar un árbol usually sounds more like cutting it down or cutting part of it, depending on context

In this sentence, podar suggests trimming branches to care for the tree.

Árbol is a masculine singular noun, so it takes the masculine singular article el.

• el árbol = the tree
• un árbol = a tree

Even though the word begins with a, it is still masculine, so el is correct.

The accent mark shows where the stress goes: ÁR-bol.

Without the accent, Spanish stress rules would make you expect stress on the second syllable, but the real stress is on the first syllable, so the written accent is needed.

So pronounce it roughly like:

• ÁR-bol

Because el árbol is a direct object, and in Spanish the personal a is only used before specific people (and sometimes pets or personified beings), not ordinary things.

Compare:

• Mi abuelo quiere podar el árbol. = My grandfather wants to prune the tree.
• Mi abuelo quiere ver a su amigo. = My grandfather wants to see his friend.

So with tree, no a is used.

This is the most neutral and natural word order in Spanish:

• subject + verb + infinitive + object

Spanish word order is somewhat flexible, but changing it can sound marked or emphasize a certain part.

For example:

• Mi abuelo quiere podar el árbol. = neutral
• El árbol lo quiere podar mi abuelo. = emphasizes the tree
• Quiere podar el árbol mi abuelo. = possible, but less neutral

For a learner, the original order is the best default.

Yes. Abuelo can mean either grandfather or grandpa, depending on tone and context.

• mi abuelo can sound neutral: my grandfather
• In a warm family context, it may feel closer to my grandpa

Spanish often uses the same noun for both the formal and affectionate English versions, and context decides the tone.

A rough pronunciation is:

mee ah-BWEH-loh KYEH-reh poh-DAR el AHR-bol

A few points:

• mi sounds like mee
• abuelo has stress on bue: a-BWE-lo
• quiere sounds like KYEH-re
• podar has stress on the last syllable: po-DAR
• árbol has stress on the first syllable: ÁR-bol

In Spain, the r sounds are tapped or rolled more clearly than in English.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• el árbol = the tree → a specific tree
• un árbol = a tree → any tree / one tree, not specifically identified

So:

• Mi abuelo quiere podar el árbol. = My grandfather wants to prune the tree.
• Mi abuelo quiere podar un árbol. = My grandfather wants to prune a tree.

Both are grammatical; they just express different levels of specificity.