Guardar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Guardar in Spanish

Guardar means “to keep,” “to save,” “to store,” “to protect,” or “to observe.” You will learn its fully regular -AR conjugation and its main possession, storage, secrecy, and rule patterns.

Guardar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular AR. RAE gives guardo, guardas / guardás, guarda, guardamos, guardáis, guardan, with regular gerund guardando and participle guardado.

Guardar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber in compound forms. The participle guardado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	guardar	to keep / save / store
Gerund	guardando	keeping / saving / storing
Past participle	guardado	kept / saved / stored

Guardar meaning and essential uses

RAE records guardar for protecting or looking after someone or something, placing something somewhere safe, and retaining or preserving something: Guardo las llaves aquí.

It also appears in fixed and abstract uses such as guardar silencio, guardar un secreto, and guardar la ley / una promesa, meaning to observe, keep, or maintain.

Guardar regular conjugation pattern

The stem guard- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm. Forms such as guardo, guardé, and guarde take ordinary -AR endings.

There is no stem change, spelling alternation, irregular preterite stem, irregular future stem, irregular gerund, or irregular participle.

Guardar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Guardar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guardo	I keep / save / store
Tú — you, singular informal	guardas	you keep / save / store
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guarda	he / she keeps / saves / stores; you keep / save / store (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardamos	we keep / save / store
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardáis	you keep / save / store (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guardan	they keep / save / store; you keep / save / store (plural)

• Guardo los documentos en esta carpeta. — I keep the documents in this folder.

Guardar preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guardé	I kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	guardaste	you kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guardó	he / she kept / saved / stored; you kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardamos	we kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardasteis	you kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guardaron	they kept / saved / stored; you kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Ayer guardé las fotos en el ordenador. — Yesterday I saved the photos on the computer.

Guardar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guardaba	I used to keep / save / store / was keeping / saving / storing
Tú — you, singular informal	guardabas	you used to keep / save / store / were keeping / saving / storing
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guardaba	he / she used to keep / save / store / was keeping / saving / storing; you used to keep / save / store / were keeping / saving / storing (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardábamos	we used to keep / save / store / were keeping / saving / storing
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardabais	you used to keep / save / store / were keeping / saving / storing (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guardaban	they used to keep / save / store / were keeping / saving / storing; you used to keep / save / store / were keeping / saving / storing (plural)

• Antes guardábamos las llaves en ese cajón. — We used to keep the keys in that drawer.

Guardar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus guardando.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy guardando	I am keeping / saving / storing
Tú — you, singular informal	estás guardando	you are keeping / saving / storing
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está guardando	he / she is keeping / saving / storing; you are keeping / saving / storing (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos guardando	we are keeping / saving / storing
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis guardando	you are keeping / saving / storing (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están guardando	they are keeping / saving / storing; you are keeping / saving / storing (plural)

• Estoy guardando los archivos. — I am saving the files.

Guardar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir + a + guardar.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a guardar	I am going to keep / save / store
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a guardar	you are going to keep / save / store
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a guardar	he / she is going to keep / save / store; you are going to keep / save / store (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a guardar	we are going to keep / save / store
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a guardar	you are going to keep / save / store (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a guardar	they are going to keep / save / store; you are going to keep / save / store (plural)

• Voy a guardar este documento. — I am going to save this document.

Guardar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guardaré	I will keep / save / store
Tú — you, singular informal	guardarás	you will keep / save / store
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guardará	he / she will keep / save / store; you will keep / save / store (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardaremos	we will keep / save / store
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardaréis	you will keep / save / store (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guardarán	they will keep / save / store; you will keep / save / store (plural)

• Guardaremos el dinero en un lugar seguro. — We will keep the money in a safe place.

Guardar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guardaría	I would keep / save / store
Tú — you, singular informal	guardarías	you would keep / save / store
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guardaría	he / she would keep / save / store; you would keep / save / store (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardaríamos	we would keep / save / store
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardaríais	you would keep / save / store (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guardarían	they would keep / save / store; you would keep / save / store (plural)

• Guardaría una copia por seguridad. — I would keep a copy for safety.

Guardar present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he guardado	I have kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	has guardado	you have kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha guardado	he / she has kept / saved / stored; you have kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos guardado	we have kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis guardado	you have kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han guardado	they have kept / saved / stored; you have kept / saved / stored (plural)

• He guardado todos los recibos. — I have kept all the receipts.

Guardar past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había guardado	I had kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	habías guardado	you had kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había guardado	he / she had kept / saved / stored; you had kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos guardado	we had kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais guardado	you had kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían guardado	they had kept / saved / stored; you had kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Ya habíamos guardado el equipo. — We had already put the equipment away.

Guardar future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré guardado	I will have kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás guardado	you will have kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá guardado	he / she will have kept / saved / stored; you will have kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos guardado	we will have kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis guardado	you will have kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán guardado	they will have kept / saved / stored; you will have kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Para entonces habrán guardado todos los archivos. — By then they will have saved all the files.

Guardar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría guardado	I would have kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías guardado	you would have kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría guardado	he / she would have kept / saved / stored; you would have kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos guardado	we would have kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais guardado	you would have kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían guardado	they would have kept / saved / stored; you would have kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Habría guardado otra copia. — I would have kept another copy.

Guardar subjunctive conjugations

Guardar present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guarde	that I keep / save / store
Tú — you, singular informal	guardes	that you keep / save / store
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guarde	that he / she keep / save / store; that you keep / save / store (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardemos	that we keep / save / store
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardéis	that you keep / save / store (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guarden	that they keep / save / store; that you keep / save / store (plural)

• Quiero que guardes esta información. — I want you to keep this information.

Guardar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guardara	that I kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	guardaras	that you kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guardara	that he / she kept / saved / stored; that you kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardáramos	that we kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardarais	that you kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guardaran	that they kept / saved / stored; that you kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Preferían que guardáramos silencio. — They preferred that we remain silent.
• Era mejor que guardases una copia local. — It was better for you to keep a local copy.

Guardar future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms belong mainly to formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical registers.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	guardare	if / when I should keep / save / store
Tú — you, singular informal	guardares	if / when you should keep / save / store
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	guardare	if / when he / she should keep / save / store; if / when you should keep / save / store (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	guardáremos	if / when we should keep / save / store
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardareis	if / when you should keep / save / store (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	guardaren	if / when they should keep / save / store; if / when you should keep / save / store (plural)

• Quien guardare información confidencial deberá protegerla. — Whoever should keep confidential information must protect it.

Guardar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya guardado	that I have kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas guardado	that you have kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya guardado	that he / she has kept / saved / stored; that you have kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos guardado	that we have kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis guardado	that you have kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan guardado	that they have kept / saved / stored; that you have kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas guardado el recibo. — I am glad that you kept the receipt.

Guardar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera guardado	that I had kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras guardado	that you had kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera guardado	that he / she had kept / saved / stored; that you had kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos guardado	that we had kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais guardado	that you had kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran guardado	that they had kept / saved / stored; that you had kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Si hubiera guardado el archivo, no habría perdido el trabajo. — If I had saved the file, I would not have lost the work.
• Si hubieses guardado el secreto, nadie lo habría sabido. — If you had kept the secret, nobody would have known.

Guardar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant guardado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere guardado	if / when I should have kept / saved / stored
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres guardado	if / when you should have kept / saved / stored
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere guardado	if / when he / she should have kept / saved / stored; if / when you should have kept / saved / stored (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos guardado	if / when we should have kept / saved / stored
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis guardado	if / when you should have kept / saved / stored (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren guardado	if / when they should have kept / saved / stored; if / when you should have kept / saved / stored (plural)

• Si hubieren guardado documentos adicionales, deberán registrarlos. — If they should have stored additional documents, they must register them.

Guardar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Guardar affirmative commands

Use the regular affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	guarda	keep
Usted — you, singular formal	guarde	keep (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	guardemos	let’s keep
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	guardad	keep (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	guarden	keep (plural)

• Guarda una copia de seguridad. — Save a backup copy.

Guardar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no guardes	do not keep
Usted — you, singular formal	no guarde	do not keep (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no guardemos	let’s not keep
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no guardéis	do not keep (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no guarden	do not keep (plural)

• No guardes alimentos calientes aquí. — Do not store hot food here.

Common constructions with Guardar

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• guardar algo. — to keep / save / store something.
• guardar algo en + place. — to keep / store something in a place.
• guardar silencio. — to remain silent / keep silent.
• guardar un secreto / una promesa. — to keep a secret / promise.

Example sentences with Guardar

These examples reinforce useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• Guarda las llaves en un lugar seguro. — Keep the keys in a safe place.
• ¿Has guardado el archivo? — Have you saved the file?
• Tenemos que guardar silencio. — We need to keep quiet.
• Espero que guardes una copia. — I hope you keep a copy.
• Ya han guardado todo el equipo. — They have already put away all the equipment.
• Guarda bien esta información. — Keep this information safe.

Regional and usage notes for Guardar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms where vos is used.

• Vos guardás los archivos aquí. — You keep the files here. (voseo)
• Guardá una copia adicional. — Save an additional copy. (affirmative vos command)

Guardar is fully regular but semantically broad. Learn it for keeping, saving, storing, protecting, and observing obligations, then memorize common combinations such as guardar silencio and guardar un secreto.