Word
Cuando voy a cumplir años, me gusta recibir regalos especiales de mis amigos.
Meaning
When I am going to turn a year older, I like to receive special gifts from my friends.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Lesson
Breakdown of Cuando voy a cumplir años, me gusta recibir regalos especiales de mis amigos.
yo
I
mi
my
gustar
to like
el amigo
the friend
cuando
when
a
to
ir
to go
el año
the year
especial
special
cumplir
to turn
recibir
to receive
el regalo
the gift
de
from
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Questions & Answers about Cuando voy a cumplir años, me gusta recibir regalos especiales de mis amigos.
Why is the expression cumplir años used instead of something like tener un cumpleaños?
In Spanish, cumplir años literally means to complete years, reflecting the act of reaching a new age each year. It’s a set phrase for having a birthday or turning a certain age, so native speakers almost always say cumplir años instead of tener un cumpleaños.
Why do we use voy a cumplir (future construction) instead of cumpliré when talking about a future birthday?
Both are correct, but voy a cumplir is more common and more conversational in Latin America. It’s just a natural way of talking about something that will happen soon. Cumpliré also implies the future but can sound a bit more formal or literary.
Can cuando voy a cumplir años be replaced by cuando cumplo años?
Yes, but there’s a subtle difference. Cuando cumplo años sounds more general, as if you are talking about something that happens every year. Cuando voy a cumplir años can place a little more focus on the upcoming birthday, emphasizing the idea of a future event.
Is me gusta a reflexive structure or something else?
Me gusta isn’t reflexive; it’s a construction that literally means it pleases me. In Spanish, gustar typically works by stating that something is pleasing to the speaker, so me is the indirect object pronoun. The sentence could be rephrased in a more literal way as A mí me gusta recibir regalos (receiving gifts is pleasing to me).
Why do we say regalos especiales de mis amigos rather than just regalos?
Adding especiales emphasizes that these gifts are meaningful or out of the ordinary. Including de mis amigos indicates specifically who is giving the gifts, personalizing the sentence. Without especiales or de mis amigos, you’d lose that nuance of uniqueness and the connection to your friends.
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