Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia.

I want to return to India one day.

Breakdown of Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia.

• eu: I
• o dia: the day
• querer: to want
• voltar: to return
• a: to
• um: one
• Índia: India

Questions & Answers about Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia.

Do I have to say Eu, or can I just say Quero voltar à Índia um dia?

In Portuguese you can usually drop the subject pronoun, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia – completely correct.
• Quero voltar à Índia um dia – also completely correct and very natural.

You would normally keep Eu if:

• you want to emphasise I (for contrast): Eu quero voltar, mas ela não quer.
• you are starting a new topic and want to be very clear.

In everyday conversation, Quero voltar à Índia um dia sounds very natural in Portugal.

Why is it quero voltar and not something like quero a voltar or quero de voltar?

In Portuguese, when one verb is directly followed by another verb, the second verb normally appears in the infinitive form without a preposition.

So:

• quero voltar = I want to go back
• quero comer = I want to eat
• quero aprender = I want to learn

You only use a preposition between verbs with certain specific verbs or expressions, for example:

• começar a voltar (to start going back)
• gostar de voltar (to like going back)

But with querer, you go straight to the infinitive: querer + infinitive (no a, no de).

What is the difference between voltar and regressar? Could I say Eu quero regressar à Índia um dia?

Both voltar and regressar can mean to return / go back, and your sentence is correct with either verb:

• Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia.
• Eu quero regressar à Índia um dia.

Nuances in Portugal:

• voltar is more common and sounds a bit more informal and everyday.
• regressar can sound slightly more formal or written, or a bit more “official” (e.g. in news, announcements).

In normal conversation about travel, voltar is usually the first choice, but regressar is also fine.

Why is it à Índia and not just a Índia or para a Índia?

À here is a contraction of:

• preposition a (to)
• article a (the, feminine singular)

So:

• a (to) + a (the) → à

Índia is feminine in Portuguese, and in European Portuguese we normally use the definite article with country names:

• a Índia, a França, o Brasil, os Estados Unidos

So:

• voltar a + a Índia → voltar à Índia

You could also hear voltar para a Índia, but the most natural for “go back to India” in European Portuguese is:

• voltar à Índia

What is the difference between a, à and há? They look similar and confuse me.

These three are very different:

1. a – preposition meaning to, at, in, on (depending on context)

   • Vou a Lisboa. – I go to Lisbon.

2. à – contraction of a + a (to + the, feminine singular)

   • Vou à Índia. – I go to India.
   • Voltar à Índia. – To go back to India.

3. há – form of the verb haver; usually means there is/are or ago (time expression)

   • Há um livro na mesa. – There is a book on the table.
   • Cheguei há uma semana. – I arrived a week ago.

So in voltar à Índia, it must be à, not a or há.

Could I say Eu vou voltar à Índia um dia instead of Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

• Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia.
  Focus on desire: I want to go back to India someday.

• Eu vou voltar à Índia um dia.
  Focus more on intention / future plan: I am going to go back to India someday.

Both are correct.
If you especially want to express your wish, quero voltar is better.
If you want to sound more certain that you will, vou voltar works well.

Does um dia mean one day (literally) or someday (vaguely in the future)?

In this sentence, um dia is understood as someday or one day in the future, not a specific day.

Compare:

• Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia.
  → someday / one day (not defined)

You can also use:

• algum dia – very similar to um dia in this sense
• um dia destes – one of these days, usually a bit sooner/less vague

If you want a specific day, you would normally add more detail:

• Quero voltar à Índia no dia 5 de Maio. – I want to go back to India on May 5th.

Is the word order fixed, or can I say Eu quero um dia voltar à Índia?

Word order in this sentence is flexible. All of these are possible and natural:

• Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia.
• Eu quero um dia voltar à Índia.
• Um dia, eu quero voltar à Índia.

Nuances:

• Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia. – neutral, very common.
• Eu quero um dia voltar à Índia. – slightly more emphasis on um dia as a dream/hope.
• Um dia, eu quero voltar à Índia. – starts with um dia, so it highlights the “someday” idea.

In normal conversation, the original word order is perfectly natural.

Why does Índia have an accent, and how do I pronounce it?

The accent in Índia shows which syllable is stressed and also affects how the vowels are pronounced.

• Spelling: Ín-di-a
• Stress: on the Ín syllable (the first one)
• Pronunciation (European Portuguese, approximate): EEN-dyuh

Breakdown:

• Í – like the ee in see, but shorter
• nd – as in English
• ia – usually pronounced together, often like yah in European Portuguese

The accent is important because india without an accent would be pronounced and understood differently (and is not the correct name of the country).

In polite speech, is Eu quero voltar... too direct? Should I say Eu gostaria de voltar...?

In European Portuguese, Eu quero voltar à Índia um dia is not rude; it is normal and neutral.

However, if you want to sound especially polite, softer, or more formal (for example, in writing, or with strangers), you can use:

• Eu gostaria de voltar à Índia um dia. – I would like to go back to India someday.

Comparing:

• Eu quero voltar... – straightforward, neutral: I want to go back...
• Eu gostaria de voltar... – more tentative and polite: I would like to go back...

Both are correct; choice depends mainly on how soft/polite you want to sound.