Which one should you use?
While recoge lo que ensucies is a standard way to say this, you can also use limpia lo que ensucies, which focuses more specifically on the act of cleaning or wiping rather than picking up items. If you want to tell someone not to leave their things lying around, you can use No dejes tus cosas tiradas por ahí.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In informal settings, you can use Asegúrate de recoger lo que ensucies to say "Make sure to pick up after yourself". To be more formal, or when addressing a group of people, use the plural form recojan lo que ensucien. For a formal instruction to leave a space tidy, use Asegúrese de dejar todo en orden.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries, the informal expression No dejes tus cosas tiradas por ahí may be replaced by No dejes tus cosas regadas por ahí.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase recoge lo que ensucies uses the subjunctive mood with the word ensucies to express a future, hypothetical action of making a mess.
Did you know?
- In some households, a parent might simply say ¡Orden! to achieve the same result as recoge lo que ensucies, treating the concept of 'order' as a command.
- The word lo in recoge lo que ensucies evolved from the Latin word illud, which was the neuter form of 'that'. This allows Spanish to refer to 'the thing' or 'that which' without specifying if the mess is masculine or feminine.
- While English uses 'clean' for both picking up toys and scrubbing floors, Spanish often views recoger and limpiar as two distinct stages of tidying. A person might be told to recoger first to clear the space and then limpiar to remove the actual dust.
Examples in context
- Recoge lo que ensucies en la cocina.Clean up after yourself in the kitchen.
- Si usas los pinceles, recoge lo que ensucies.If you use the brushes, clean up after yourself.
- Por favor, recoge lo que ensucies en el salón.Please, clean up after yourself in the living room.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are sharing a workspace in a studio.
- MateoMaría, ¿podrías limpiar un poco?María, could you clean up a bit?
- MaríaSí, lo siento, terminaré ahora.Yes, I'm sorry, I'll finish now.
- MateoSolo recoge lo que ensucies, por favor.Just clean up after yourself, please.
- MaríaEstá bien, Mateo, lo haré de inmediato.Okay, Mateo, I will do it immediately.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lo, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
