Tengo metas importantes para alcanzar este año.

I have important goals to achieve this year.

Breakdown of Tengo metas importantes para alcanzar este año.

• este: this
• yo: I
• tener: to have
• para: for
• el año: the year
• importante: important
• la meta: the goal
• alcanzar: to achieve

Questions & Answers about Tengo metas importantes para alcanzar este año.

Why does the sentence begin with Tengo instead of Yo tengo?

In Spanish, it’s very common to leave out the subject pronoun (yo) because the form of the verb tells us who is speaking. Tengo means I have, so the subject is already clear, making Yo tengo a bit more explicit than necessary.

Why do we use metas instead of another word like objetivos?

Both metas and objetivos can translate as goals in English, but metas often focuses more on what you aim to achieve personally or professionally. Objetivos can sound slightly more formal or business-like, though the two words are often interchangeable.

Why is importantes placed after metas in Spanish?

In Spanish, most adjectives come after the noun. So, we say metas importantes rather than importantes metas. While there are exceptions where adjectives can precede the noun, the standard, neutral placement is typically noun + adjective.

What’s the function of para before alcanzar in this sentence?

In Spanish, para often indicates purpose or aim when used with an infinitive, sort of like in order to in English. So, para alcanzar means in order to reach/achieve. Using por would generally change the meaning and might not match the intended purpose.

Why do we use este año instead of just este?

Este is a demonstrative adjective meaning this, and it needs to modify a noun. In this context, the noun is año (year). So we say este año (this year) to specify which year we’re talking about, rather than just este on its own.