Spanish for Intermediate Learners: Talking About Reducing Waste with 'Deberíamos hacer composta'
Learn to discuss composting and waste reduction in Latin American Spanish using deberíamos, hay que, and practical recycling vocabulary.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
To talk about reducing waste in Spanish, you need more than the word basura. This lesson focuses on composting and everyday waste habits. You will learn how to suggest actions with deberíamos ('we should'), state obligations with hay que ('one must'), and describe what you separate, throw away, or reuse. The examples use broadly useful Latin American Spanish, with regional notes where usage differs.
By the end, you can…
- suggest composting and other waste-reducing actions using deberíamos and hay que.
- describe what I do with organic waste, plastic, and paper using separar, tirar, and reutilizar.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Deberíamos hacer composta con los restos de comida.
We should compost with food scraps.
deh-beh-REE-ah-mohs ah-SEHR kohm-POHS-tah kohn lohs REHS-tohs deh koh-MEE-dah
Deberíamos is the conditional of deber and softens a suggestion. Hacer composta is common in Mexico and Central America; in parts of South America you may hear hacer compost or compostar.
Hay que separar la basura orgánica de la inorgánica.
We have to separate organic waste from inorganic waste.
eye keh seh-pah-RAHR lah bah-SOO-rah ohr-GAH-nee-kah deh lah een-ohr-GAH-nee-kah
Hay que expresses a general obligation without naming who must do it. Basura orgánica refers to food and plant waste; inorgánica includes plastic, glass, and metal.
No tires las cáscaras; úsalas para la composta.
Don't throw away the peels; use them for compost.
noh TEE-rehs lahs KAHS-kah-rahs OO-sah-lahs PAH-rah lah kohm-POHS-tah
Tires is the negative tú command of tirar. Cáscaras are peels from fruit or vegetables. This is a direct but friendly instruction among family or neighbors.
En mi casa reutilizamos las bolsas de plástico.
At my house we reuse plastic bags.
ehn mee KAH-sah reh-oo-tee-lee-SAH-mohs lahs BOHL-sahs deh PLAHS-tee-koh
Reutilizamos is the present tense of reutilizar. Use en mi casa to describe household habits. In some regions bolsas plásticas is more common than bolsas de plástico.
¿Dónde puedo llevar el aceite usado?
Where can I take used oil?
DOHN-deh PWEH-doh yeh-VAHR ehl ah-SEH-ee-teh oo-SAH-doh
Used cooking oil should not go down the drain. Llevar is the general verb for taking something to a collection point. In Chile and Argentina, you may hear aceite usado de cocina for clarity.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Use deberíamos + infinitive to suggest a shared action: Deberíamos hacer composta. Use hay que + infinitive for a general rule: Hay que separar los residuos. Use no tires + noun for a negative tú command: No tires el vidrio. These three patterns let you move from suggestion to obligation to direct instruction.
When to use it
Choose deberíamos when you want to propose something politely among friends, family, or neighbors: Deberíamos reducir el plástico. Choose hay que for public or household rules that apply to everyone: Hay que sacar la basura los martes. Use the negative tú command no tires with people you address as tú, such as siblings or close friends. For formal situations, use no tire (usted): No tire las pilas a la basura.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Oye, en la cocina hay muchos restos de comida. ¿Qué hacemos con ellos?
Hey, there are a lot of food scraps in the kitchen. What do we do with them?OH-yeh ehn lah koh-SEE-nah eye MOO-chohs REHS-tohs deh koh-MEE-dah keh ah-SEH-mohs kohn EH-yohsDeberíamos hacer composta. Hay que separar lo orgánico de lo inorgánico.
We should compost. We have to separate organic from inorganic.deh-beh-REE-ah-mohs ah-SEHR kohm-POHS-tah eye keh seh-pah-RAHR loh ohr-GAH-nee-koh deh loh een-ohr-GAH-nee-kohBuena idea. ¿Y el aceite usado? No lo tires al drenaje.
Good idea. And the used oil? Don't throw it down the drain.BWEH-nah ee-DEH-ah ee ehl ah-SEH-ee-teh oo-SAH-doh noh loh TEE-rehs ahl dreh-NAH-hehLo llevo al centro de acopio los sábados. También reutilizo los frascos de vidrio.
I take it to the collection center on Saturdays. I also reuse glass jars.loh YEH-voh ahl SEHN-troh deh ah-KOH-peeoh lohs SAH-bah-dohs tahm-BYEHN reh-oo-tee-LEE-soh lohs FRAHS-kohs deh VEE-dreeohA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American cities, waste collection and recycling programs vary widely. Centro de acopio is a common term for a collection or recycling point, but you may also hear punto limpio, centro de reciclaje, or planta de reciclaje depending on the country. Composta is widely understood in Mexico, while compost or compostaje appears more in South America. When speaking with neighbors, deberíamos sounds collaborative; hay que can sound more like a rule.
One thing to watch for
Using deberíamos hacer composta to mean a strong obligation, as if it were 'we must compost.'
Try this instead: Deberíamos is a suggestion, not a strong obligation. For a stronger rule, use tenemos que or hay que: Tenemos que hacer composta en casa. If you want to say 'we must,' debemos hacer composta is also possible, but it sounds more formal and less conversational.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you suggest to your family that you should compost food scraps?
Show a sample answer
Deberíamos hacer composta con los restos de comida.
Deberíamos + infinitive makes a polite shared suggestion. You could also say Podríamos hacer composta, which is even softer.
2What phrase would you use to state a general rule about separating organic and inorganic waste?
Show a sample answer
Hay que separar la basura orgánica de la inorgánica.
Hay que expresses a general obligation without naming a person. Tenemos que separar is also correct when you include yourselves in the obligation.
3Give a negative tú command telling a friend not to throw glass in the regular trash.
Show a sample answer
No tires el vidrio a la basura.
No tires is the negative tú command of tirar. For formal usted, say No tire el vidrio a la basura.
Use deberíamos for suggestions, hay que for general rules, and no tires for friendly negative commands. Keep composting vocabulary practical: restos de comida, cáscaras, orgánico, inorgánico, and centro de acopio.
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