Guardar means 'to keep', 'to put away' and 'to save', and it is a versatile regular -ar verb. Guardo mis cosas en el armario (I keep my things in the wardrobe), guarda el archivo (save the file). It also appears in guardar un secreto ('to keep a secret') and guardar cama ('to stay in bed', when ill). Because keeping and storing things — including saving files — comes up across home, technology and everyday topics, guardar is genuinely useful. As a regular -ar verb the forms are predictable, and its range of meanings gives you good expressive flexibility.
Quick facts
Guardar (to keep) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Guardo mis cosas (I keep my things).
Guarda el archivo (save the file).
Guardar un secreto (to keep a secret).
Guardar la ropa (to put away clothes).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
guardar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know guardar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice guardar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: guardo, tú: guardas, él: guarda, nosotros: guardamos, vosotros: guardáis, ellos: guardan
The past participle is guardado (he guardado) and the gerund is guardando (estoy guardando).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with guardar or that behave like it.
Guardar is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.