Guardar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
The Spanish verb guardar means to keep, to save, to put away. You can learn its forms from the full guardar conjugation, but forms on their own are not enough: you need to see the verb in real sentences, in conversation, and in the mistakes people actually make. That is what this page is for. Below you will find example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the common mistakes, a ten-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions learners ask most. One sentence to start: Yo guardo el dinero en el banco. — "I put away money in the bank."
Guardar example sentences
Everyday use — the present tense
- Yo guardo el dinero en el banco. — "I put away money in the bank."
- Tú guardas los libros en la estantería. — "you put away the books on the shelf."
- Él guarda la ropa en el armario. — "he/she puts away the clothes in the wardrobe."
- Nosotros guardamos las llaves en un lugar seguro. — "we put away the keys in a safe place."
Talking about the past
- Yo guardé la ropa en el armario. — "I put away the clothes in the wardrobe."
- Él guardaba las llaves en un lugar seguro. — "he/she used to put away the keys in a safe place."
- Nosotros guardamos las fotos en una caja. — "we put away the photos in a box."
Plans and wishes
- Yo guardaré las fotos en una caja. — "I will put away the photos in a box."
- Tú guardarías todo en su sitio. — "you would put away everything in its place."
More examples with guardar
- Guardo el dinero en el banco. — "I put the money in the bank."
- Mi madre guarda los libros en la estantería. — "My mother puts the books on the shelf."
- Ayer guardé las fotos en una caja. — "Yesterday I put the photos away in a box."
- De niña, guardaba todo en su sitio. — "As a girl, I used to put everything in its place."
- Mañana guardaré la ropa en el armario. — "Tomorrow I will put the clothes away in the wardrobe."
- Si pudiera, guardaría un secreto para siempre. — "If I could, I would keep a secret for ever."
Guardar in conversation
Two short dialogues using guardar naturally. Read them out loud: hearing the verb in a question and an answer is the fastest way to make the forms stick.
Dialogue 1: making plans
María: ¿Tú guardas el dinero en el banco? Carlos: Sí, yo guardo el dinero en el banco. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Guarda los libros en la estantería? Carlos: Sí, él guarda los libros en la estantería todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú guardarás la ropa en el armario? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo guardaré la ropa en el armario.
In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: guardas for tú, guardo for yo, guarda for él. The future forms at the end (guardarás, guardaré) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.
Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday
Ana: ¿Tú guardas las llaves en un lugar seguro? Luis: Sí, yo guardo las llaves en un lugar seguro. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Guarda las fotos en una caja? Luis: Sí, él guarda las fotos en una caja todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú guardaste las llaves en un lugar seguro? Luis: Sí, ayer yo guardé las llaves en un lugar seguro.
Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: guardé for yo, guardaste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.
Common mistakes with guardar in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.
1. Yo guarda el dinero en el banco.
Wrong: Yo guarda el dinero en el banco.
Right: Yo guardo el dinero en el banco.
The yo form ends in -o: guardo. Guarda is the él/ella form.
2. Guardo un secreto para siempre is wrong because guardar means only to keep objects.
Wrong: Guardo un secreto para siempre is wrong because guardar means only to keep objects.
Right: Guardo un secreto para siempre.
No, that sentence is correct: guardar un secreto is the standard way to say to keep a secret. Guardar covers objects, money and secrets.
3. Confusing guardar with esconder
Wrong: Guardo las llaves en el cajón.
Right: Escondo las llaves en el cajón.
Guardar is putting something away in its proper place; esconder is hiding it so nobody finds it. Guardas los libros en la estantería, pero escondes las llaves en el cajón.
4. Using the present for a finished past action
Wrong: Ayer yo guardo el dinero en el banco.
Right: Ayer yo guardé el dinero en el banco.
Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: guardé. The present describes what you do now or usually.
Quiz: guardar in use
Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.
- Tú ___ el dinero en el banco (present)
- a) guardas
- b) guardo
- c) guarda
- d) guardamos
- Nosotros ___ los libros en la estantería (preterite)
- a) guardé
- b) guardaste
- c) guardó
- d) guardamos
- Ellos ___ la ropa en el armario (imperfect)
- a) guardabas
- b) guardaba
- c) guardaban
- d) guardaba
- Tú ___ las llaves en un lugar seguro (future)
- a) guardaremos
- b) guardarás
- c) guardaré
- d) guardará
- Nosotros ___ las fotos en una caja (conditional)
- a) guardaríamos
- b) guardaría
- c) guardarías
- d) guardaría
- Ellos ___ todo en su sitio (present)
- a) guardo
- b) guardas
- c) guarda
- d) guardan
- Tú ___ el dinero en el banco (preterite)
- a) guardó
- b) guardamos
- c) guardaste
- d) guardé
- Nosotros ___ los libros en la estantería (imperfect)
- a) guardaba
- b) guardábamos
- c) guardaba
- d) guardabas
- Ellos ___ la ropa en el armario (future)
- a) guardarán
- b) guardaré
- c) guardarás
- d) guardará
- Tú ___ las llaves en un lugar seguro (conditional)
- a) guardaría
- b) guardaría
- c) guardaríamos
- d) guardarías
Answers
- a) guardas — the present form, for tú.
- d) guardamos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
- c) guardaban — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- b) guardarás — the future form, for tú.
- a) guardaríamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
- d) guardan — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- c) guardaste — the preterite form, for tú.
- b) guardábamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
- a) guardarán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- d) guardarías — the conditional form, for tú.
Frequently asked questions about guardar
Does guardar mean to put away or to keep?
Both. Guardar means to put something away in its place (guardo los libros) and to keep something safe (guardo un secreto, guardo el dinero).
Is guardar regular?
Yes, guardar is a regular -ar verb: guardo, guardas, guarda, guardamos, guardáis, guardan.
What are the gerund and the past participle of guardar?
The gerund is guardando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy guardando), and the past participle is guardado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he guardado).
Is guardar regular?
Yes, it is a regular -ar verb. The present is guardo, guardas, guarda, guardamos, guardáis, guardan, and the full tables are on the guardar conjugation page.
How to remember guardar
Four small habits will fix guardar in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: guardo, guardas, guarda, guardamos, guardáis, guardan. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (guardo), one about yesterday with the preterite (guardé), and one about tomorrow with the future (guardaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from esconder: Guardar is putting something away in its proper place; esconder is hiding it so nobody finds it. Guardas los libros en la estantería, pero escondes las llaves en el cajón. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund guardando and the past participle guardado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy guardando) and the present perfect (he guardado), which covers most everyday conversation.
Related pages
- Guardar conjugation: full tables — every tense of guardar on one page.
- Guardar Present tense — the deep dive on guardar in the present.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Conjugation practice — fill-in-the-blank drills with instant feedback.