Non voglio sbagliare quando rispondo.

I do not want to make a mistake when I answer.

Breakdown of Non voglio sbagliare quando rispondo.

• io: I
• volere: to want
• quando: when
• non: not
• sbagliare: to make a mistake
• rispondere: to answer

Questions & Answers about Non voglio sbagliare quando rispondo.

Why do we use sbagliare in the infinitive form after voglio?

In Italian, when you talk about what you want to do or don’t want to do, you use volere followed by the infinitive of the verb. That’s why we see voglio sbagliare instead of something like voglio che sbaglio.

Why is non placed right before voglio?

Unlike English, Italian typically puts the negative word non directly in front of the verb it’s negating. In this case, it’s negating voglio (I want), so we say non voglio (I don’t want).

Could I say non voglio di sbagliare?

No, that would be incorrect. After volere, you just use the infinitive without any preposition. You say non voglio sbagliare instead of non voglio di sbagliare.

Why do we say quando rispondo instead of quando io rispondo?

Italian doesn’t require subject pronouns as English does. Because the verb ending (-o in rispondo) clearly indicates the speaker is io (I), adding io is optional. It’s grammatically correct to say quando io rispondo, but it’s more common just to say quando rispondo.

Why is rispondo in the present tense when referring to a future action?

In Italian, the present tense can be used to express near-future events, especially when there’s a time indicator like quando (when) or a sense of something that will happen soon. It’s similar to how in English you sometimes say I’ll call you when I get home, where get is in a present form but refers to the future.