Cuando me preocupo demasiado, intento meditar para relajarme.

When I worry too much, I try to meditate to relax.

Breakdown of Cuando me preocupo demasiado, intento meditar para relajarme.

• yo: I
• cuando: when
• para: to
• relajarse: to relax
• preocuparse: to worry
• demasiado: too
• intentar: to try
• meditar: to meditate

Questions & Answers about Cuando me preocupo demasiado, intento meditar para relajarme.

Why does the sentence use the reflexive pronoun me in me preocupo?

In Spanish, preocuparse is commonly used in its reflexive form to mean to worry (literally to worry oneself). Using me clarifies that you yourself are the one experiencing the worry, rather than causing someone else to worry.

Why is demasiado placed after preocupo?

Demasiado means too much and describes the degree of worry. Placing it after me preocupo helps stress how much the speaker worries. You might also see demasiado moved around for emphasis in different contexts, but this placement is most natural in everyday speech.

Why is para used in intento meditar para relajarme?

Para indicates the purpose of your action. In this sentence, you are explaining that you meditate in order to relax yourself. Para conveys the goal or intention of meditating.

Why is relajarme also reflexive?

Relajarme means to relax myself. You’re indicating that the action of relaxing is something you do for yourself. If you used relajar, it would simply mean to relax something (like relaxing a muscle), but wouldn’t specify that it’s your own state of relaxation.

Is there a difference between saying intento meditar and intento relajarme?

Yes. Intento meditar focuses on the action of meditation, whereas intento relajarme focuses directly on the act of relaxing yourself. In the original sentence, mediation is the method used to achieve the relaxation. So you say intento meditar para relajarme to show how one leads to the other.