salvarla

/sal-BAR-lah/

to save her

A friendly person reaching out a hand to pull a small kitten up from a low tree branch.

Salvarla can mean to rescue a female animal or person, like saving a kitten.

salvarla(verb)

A2regular with attached pronoun ar

to save her

rescuing a female person or animal

to save it

referring to a feminine noun like 'la situación' or 'la empresa'

Also:

to rescue her

pulling someone out of danger

📝 In Action

Ella está en peligro y tenemos que salvarla.

She is in danger and we have to save her.

La empresa iba a quebrar, pero logramos salvarla.

The company was going to go bankrupt, but we managed to save it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

rescatarla (to rescue her)
protegerla (to protect her)

Antonyms

abandonarla (to abandon her)
condenarla (to condemn her)

Common Collocations

intentar salvarla – to try to save her
querer salvarla – to want to save her

💡 Grammar Points

The 'la' at the end

The 'la' on the end of 'salvar' is a shortcut for 'her' or 'it' (feminine). You attach it directly to the end of verbs that are in their basic 'ar/er/ir' form.

Pronoun Placement

When you use a helper verb like 'quiero' (I want) or 'tengo que' (I have to), you can stick the 'la' to the end of the main action: 'Quiero salvarla'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using 'lo' instead of 'la'

Mistake: "Quiero salvarlo (when talking about a girl)."

Correction: Quiero salvarla. Use 'la' for females or feminine things like 'la gata' (the cat) or 'la vida' (the life).

⭐ Usage Tips

Accents in commands

When you tell someone to save her ('Sálvala'), notice the accent mark! Adding the 'la' to a command usually requires an accent to keep the stress in the right place.

A small child in athletic gear jumping over a low hurdle on a grass field.

Salvarla can also mean to overcome a physical barrier or hurdle.

salvarla(verb)

B2regular with attached pronoun ar

to overcome it

getting past a hurdle or barrier

to cross it

spanning a distance or gap

📝 In Action

Hay una valla alta, pero podemos salvarla saltando.

There is a high fence, but we can get past it by jumping.

💡 Grammar Points

Physical hurdles

In this context, 'salvarla' refers to 'la valla' (the fence) or 'la distancia' (the distance).

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

present

yola salve

nosotrosla salvemos

ellos/ellas/ustedesla salven

túla salves

vosotrosla salvéis

él/ella/ustedla salve

imperfect

yola salvara

nosotrosla salváramos

ellos/ellas/ustedesla salvaran

túla salvaras

vosotrosla salvarais

él/ella/ustedla salvara

indicative

present

yola salvo

nosotrosla salvamos

ellos/ellas/ustedesla salvan

túla salvas

vosotrosla salváis

él/ella/ustedla salva

imperfect

yola salvaba

nosotrosla salvábamos

ellos/ellas/ustedesla salvaban

túla salvabas

vosotrosla salvabais

él/ella/ustedla salvaba

preterite

yola salvé

nosotrosla salvamos

ellos/ellas/ustedesla salvaron

túla salvaste

vosotrosla salvasteis

él/ella/ustedla salvó

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: salvarla

Question 1 of 1

If you are trying to rescue a female cat (la gata), which should you say?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

salvación(salvation) - noun

salvador(savior) - noun

salvavidas(life jacket / lifeguard) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the 'la' at the end and not the beginning?

In Spanish, when a verb is in its basic form (the infinitive), pronouns like 'la' (her/it) get attached to the very end to form one single word.

Can 'salvarla' mean 'to save it' for a computer file?

Yes, if the word for the file or information is feminine, like 'la carpeta' (the folder) or 'la información'.