Inklingo
Dictionary

protegerla

pro-te-HER-lahpɾoteˈxeɾla

“protegerla” means “to protect her” in Spanish (referring to a female person or animal).

to protect her, to protect itAlso: to keep her safe

VerbA2spelling change (g to j) er
A large, gentle hand holding a small umbrella over a tiny kitten to keep it dry during a light rain.
gerundprotegiéndola
past Participleprotegido
infinitiveproteger

📝 In Action

Prometí protegerla de cualquier peligro.

A2

I promised to protect her from any danger.

La naturaleza es frágil y debemos protegerla.

B1

Nature is fragile and we must protect it.

Es mi responsabilidad protegerla.

A1

It is my responsibility to protect her.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • cuidarla (to take care of her)
  • defenderla (to defend her)
  • resguardarla (to shelter her/it)

Antonyms

  • abandonarla (to abandon her)
  • dañarla (to damage her/it)
  • desprotegerla (to leave her unprotected)

Common Collocations

  • protegerla de – to protect her from
  • querer protegerla – to want to protect her
  • intentar protegerla – to try to protect her

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yola protegiera
túla protegieras
él/ella/ustedla protegiera
nosotrosla protegiéramos
vosotrosla protegierais
ellos/ellas/ustedesla protegieran

Present Subjunctive

yola proteja
túla protejas
él/ella/ustedla proteja
nosotrosla protejamos
vosotrosla protejáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesla protejan

Indicative

Preterite

yola protegí
túla protegiste
él/ella/ustedla protegió
nosotrosla protegimos
vosotrosla protegisteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesla protegieron

Imperfect

yola protegía
túla protegías
él/ella/ustedla protegía
nosotrosla protegíamos
vosotrosla protegíais
ellos/ellas/ustedesla protegían

Present

yola protejo
túla proteges
él/ella/ustedla protege
nosotrosla protegemos
vosotrosla protegéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesla protegen
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: protegerla

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly means 'I need to protect her'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
protección(protection) — Noun
protector(protector) — Noun
protegido(protected) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes
verlacomerlaperla
📚 Etymology

From the Latin 'protegere', which literally means 'to cover in front' (pro- = in front, tegere = to cover).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: protectFrench: protégerItalian: proteggere

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't it 'protegerlo'?

'Protegerlo' is used if the person or object being protected is masculine. 'Protegerla' is specifically for feminine nouns or females.

Can I say 'la proteger'?

Almost! You can say 'la quiero proteger' (putting 'la' before the first verb) or 'quiero protegerla' (attaching it to the end). Both are correct.