Yo canto en la mañana.

I sing in the morning.

Breakdown of Yo canto en la mañana.

• yo: I
• en: in
• cantar: to sing
• la mañana: the morning

Questions & Answers about Yo canto en la mañana.

Why do we sometimes include yo and sometimes drop it in sentences like Yo canto en la mañana?

In Spanish, the verb ending already indicates who is performing the action, so saying yo (meaning I) can be optional. Native speakers often omit yo because canto clearly refers to I sing. However, yo can be used for emphasis, such as clarifying who sings or drawing attention to the speaker.

Why is it canto and not cantar in this sentence?

Canto is the first-person (yo) present-tense conjugation of the verb cantar (to sing). Cantar is the infinitive form, which you might see in a dictionary or when expressing a desire or obligation to sing (e.g., Quiero cantar, meaning “I want to sing”).

Is there a difference between saying en la mañana and por la mañana?

They can both mean “in the morning,” but por la mañana is more common in everyday speech to express an unspecified time in the morning. En la mañana can also be used, though some speakers prefer por la mañana because it sounds more natural in many Latin American contexts.

Does Yo canto en la mañana only mean I sing in the morning as a habit, or can it also mean I will sing in the morning?

In Spanish, the simple present tense (canto) often refers to habitual actions. However, context can allow it to describe a future action as well (similar to how in English we sometimes say I leave tomorrow). Typically, if you specifically mean the future, you would use expressions like Voy a cantar en la mañana (“I am going to sing in the morning”).

Are there any pronunciation differences for canto I should be aware of in Latin America?

Most regions will pronounce canto quite similarly, with a clear k sound at the beginning and the t pronounced distinctly. Some softening might occur in rapid speech, but there aren’t major regional variations in Latin America specifically for this word.