Learn Spanish (Latin America): Tengo que sacar la basura y lavar el piso. - I have to take out the trash and wash the floor.

In Spanish, when you want to say you have to do something, you must use the special phrase tener que followed by an action verb. Here, Tengo que means 'I have to'. If you just said Tengo sacar, it would be incorrect, sounding a bit like 'I have take out' in English.

Why are sacar and lavar not conjugated?

Because they both follow the phrase Tengo que (I have to). When using tener que for an obligation, the action you have to do stays in its basic dictionary form, called an infinitive (ending in -ar, -er, or -ir). Because you 'have to' do both things, both sacar (to take out) and lavar (to wash) stay in this basic form.

Do I need to repeat tengo que before lavar?

No, you do not have to! Just like in English (I have to take out the trash and wash the floor), the Tengo que at the beginning applies to both actions because they are connected by y (and). You could say y tengo que lavar el piso, but dropping the second tengo que sounds much more natural.

Is sacar the normal word to use for taking out the trash?

Yes, sacar generally means to take out, to remove, or to get something out. It is the perfect verb to use with la basura (the trash). You will also use it in situations like taking a dog out for a walk (sacar al perro).