Looking ahead! In this lesson, you'll learn to express your goals, dreams, and aspirations. You'll use three key structures — 'quiero' (I want), 'espero' (I hope), and 'voy a' (I'm going to) — combined with future time markers. This is the language of ambition and planning!
Learning tips
- 'Querer + infinitive' (to want to do something) is one of the most useful structures in Spanish — you've seen it before, now master it!
- 'Esperar' means both 'to hope' and 'to wait' — context tells you which meaning applies.
- Future time markers make your sentences precise: 'pronto' (soon), 'la próxima semana' (next week), 'el próximo año' (next year), 'algún día' (someday).
- Notice that 'próximo' changes gender: 'el próximo año' (masculine) vs. 'la próxima semana' (feminine).
Warm-up & Active Recall
Recap: In Lesson 10.4, you practiced contrasting present perfect (he visitado) with future plans (voy a visitar) when talking about Colombian destinations.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cartagena | Cartagena |
| Santa Marta | Santa Marta |
| el Eje Cafetero | the Coffee Region |
| San Andrés | San Andrés |
| hermoso | beautiful |
| la montaña | the mountain |
| el mar | the sea |
| la selva | the jungle |
| el río | the river |
| descubrir | to discover |
Dialog
Valentina and Andrés discuss their goals for the coming year. They use 'la meta' (goal), 'el sueño' (dream), 'querer' (to want), 'esperar' (to hope), 'aprender' (to learn), and 'mejorar' (to improve) with future time markers: 'algún día' (someday), 'pronto' (soon), 'el próximo año' (next year), 'la próxima semana' (next week). This is a great conversation model for talking about your own language learning goals!
Valentina
Andrés, ¿cuáles son tus metas para el próximo año?
(Andrés, which are your goals for the next year?)
Andrés, what are your goals for next year?
Andrés
Mi sueño es aprender inglés. Quiero mejorar mucho.
(My dream is to-learn English. Want to-improve much.)
My dream is to learn English. I want to improve a lot.
Valentina
¡Qué buena meta! Yo espero viajar a Europa algún día.
(What good goal! I hope to-travel to Europe some day.)
What a great goal! I hope to travel to Europe someday.
Andrés
Pronto vas a lograr esa meta. ¿Qué quieres aprender?
(Soon go-you to achieve that goal. What want-you to-learn?)
Soon you'll achieve that goal. What do you want to learn?
Valentina
Quiero aprender francés. La próxima semana voy a empezar un curso.
(Want to-learn French. The next week go to start a course.)
I want to learn French. Next week I'm going to start a course.
Andrés
Yo espero mejorar mi español. El próximo año quiero leer más libros.
(I hope to-improve my Spanish. The next year want to-read more books.)
I hope to improve my Spanish. Next year I want to read more books.
Valentina
Algún día quiero hablar tres idiomas. Ese es mi sueño.
(Some day want to-speak three languages. That is my dream.)
Someday I want to speak three languages. That's my dream.
Andrés
¡Pronto lo vas a lograr! Tus metas son increíbles.
(Soon it go-you to achieve! Your goals are incredible.)
Soon you'll achieve it! Your goals are incredible.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| la meta | /la ˈme.ta/ | the goal | |
| el sueño | /el ˈswe.ɲo/ | the dream | Also means 'sleep' in other contexts |
| querer | /ke.ˈɾeɾ/ | to want | Stem-changing: quiero, quieres, quiere (e→ie) |
| esperar | /es.pe.ˈɾaɾ/ | to hope, to wait | Context determines meaning |
| algún día | /al.ˈɣun ˈdi.a/ | someday, one day | |
| pronto | /ˈpɾon.to/ | soon | |
| el próximo año | /el ˈpɾok.si.mo ˈa.ɲo/ | next year | 'próximo' is masculine to match 'año' |
| la próxima semana | /la ˈpɾok.si.ma se.ˈma.na/ | next week | 'próxima' is feminine to match 'semana' |
| aprender | /a.pɾen.ˈdeɾ/ | to learn | |
| mejorar | /me.xo.ˈɾaɾ/ | to improve, to get better |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| lograr | /lo.ˈɣɾaɾ/ | to achieve, to accomplish | |
| alcanzar | /al.kan.ˈsaɾ/ | to reach, to attain | |
| el objetivo | /el oβ.xe.ˈti.βo/ | the objective, the target | |
| el futuro | /el fu.ˈtu.ɾo/ | the future | |
| la oportunidad | /la o.poɾ.tu.ni.ˈðað/ | the opportunity | |
| posible | /po.ˈsi.βle/ | possible |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| quiero aprender | I want to learn |
| algún día | someday |
Pronunciation: The word 'sueño' has the 'ñ' sound: SWEN-yo. Don't confuse it with 'sueno' (without the tilde), which doesn't exist as a standard word. Also, 'mejorar' is me-ho-RAR — remember that 'j' in Spanish sounds like a strong English 'h'. And 'próximo' is PROK-si-mo — the accent on the first syllable makes it a proparoxytone word.
Grammar: Expressing future goals with 'querer', 'esperar', 'ir + a' + infinitive
| Structure | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| querer + infinitive | want to (do something) | Quiero aprender francés. |
| esperar + infinitive | hope to (do something) | Espero mejorar mi español. |
| ir + a + infinitive | going to (do something) | Voy a estudiar más. |
| Future time marker | Example |
|---|---|
| pronto | Pronto voy a viajar. |
| la próxima semana | La próxima semana quiero empezar. |
| el próximo año | El próximo año espero mejorar. |
| algún día | Algún día quiero hablar tres idiomas. |
Spanish has three easy ways to talk about what you want or plan to do in the future:
1. querer + infinitive (want to):
- Quiero aprender francés. (I want to learn French.)
- ¿Quieres mejorar tu español? (Do you want to improve your Spanish?)
2. esperar + infinitive (hope to):
- Espero viajar a Europa. (I hope to travel to Europe.)
- Esperamos mejorar pronto. (We hope to improve soon.)
3. ir + a + infinitive (going to):
- Voy a estudiar más. (I'm going to study more.)
- Vamos a continuar el curso. (We're going to continue the course.)
Combine these with future time markers for precision:
- Pronto voy a viajar. (Soon I'm going to travel.)
- La próxima semana quiero empezar. (Next week I want to start.)
- El próximo año espero hablar mejor. (Next year I hope to speak better.)
- Algún día quiero hablar tres idiomas. (Someday I want to speak three languages.)
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing word.
- Mi es hablar español perfectamente.(a target you want to achieve)
- viajar a Colombia es mi sueño.(verb: to want / desire)
- Espero mi pronunciación.(to get better at something)
- La semana voy a empezar un curso nuevo.(adjective: the following one — feminine)
- quiero hablar tres idiomas.(a future time — unspecified day)
Grammar Application
Complete each sentence with the correct verb form.
- want + to learn → aprender.(first person singular of querer)
- hope + to travel → viajar.(first person singular of esperar)
- going to + to improve → Voy a .(infinitive for 'to improve')
- want + to discover → Quiero .(infinitive for 'to discover')
- hope + to reach → Espero .(infinitive for 'to reach/attain')
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish.
- I want to learn Spanish.
- My dream is to travel to Colombia.
- I hope to improve soon.
- Next year I'm going to study more.
- Someday I want to speak three languages.
Creative Construction
Write 2-3 sentences about your goals and dreams using 'querer', 'esperar', or 'ir + a' with future time markers.
Takeaway
Express goals with three structures: 'quiero + infinitive' (I want to), 'espero + infinitive' (I hope to), 'voy a + infinitive' (I'm going to). Add time markers for when: pronto (soon), la próxima semana (next week), el próximo año (next year), algún día (someday).
Culture note: Colombians are known for their optimism and goal-oriented mindset. The phrase 'echar pa' adelante' (to push forward) is a popular Colombian expression about perseverance. In Bogotá and Medellín, you'll find many language exchange meetups (intercambios de idiomas) where Colombians practice English while helping others learn Spanish. It's common to hear '¡Sí se puede!' (Yes, you can!) as encouragement — a phrase that reflects the Colombian spirit of determination and positivity.
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