protegerte
“protegerte” means “to protect yourself” in Spanish (Used reflexively, informal 'you').
to protect yourself, to protect you
Also: to safeguard you
📝 In Action
Tienes que protegerte del sol en la playa.
A2You have to protect yourself from the sun at the beach.
Mi único objetivo es protegerte de cualquier daño.
B1My only goal is to protect you from any harm.
Es importante aprender a protegerte en línea.
B1It is important to learn how to protect yourself online.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: protegerte
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses the base verb *proteger* instead of *protegerte*?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
The verb 'proteger' comes from the Latin word *protegere*, which meant 'to cover in front' or 'to shelter.' The word 'te' is an ancient pronoun meaning 'you,' which traces back to the basic Indo-European roots for the second person.
First recorded: 13th century (base verb)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'protegerte' have the 'te' at the end, and not before the verb?
The 'te' (the pronoun meaning 'you') attaches to the end of the infinitive form ('proteger') when it is combined with another verb, or when it acts as an imperative command. This is a common pattern in Spanish for verbs that haven't been fully conjugated yet (like infinitives and gerunds).
Is 'protegerte' the same as 'te proteger'?
They are nearly the same in meaning, but they are used in different sentence structures. 'Protegerte' is used when the verb is governed by another verb (e.g., 'Necesito protegerte'). 'Te proteger' is not grammatically correct; the pronoun must either attach to the infinitive (protegerte) or be placed before the fully conjugated verb (Te voy a proteger).