Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Desde niño, solía anhelar vivir cerca del mar para disfrutar la brisa y el sonido de las olas. - Since I was a child, I used to yearn to live near the sea to enjoy the breeze and the sound of the waves.

Solía is the imperfect form of the verb soler, which is used to talk about actions or states that used to happen habitually in the past. In this sentence, it indicates that from childhood the speaker regularly experienced a deep longing (expressed by anhelar) to live near the sea.

Why is the verb anhelar chosen instead of a more common verb like desear?

Anhelar conveys a sense of deep, heartfelt yearning or longing, whereas desear tends to be more neutral or general in expressing desire. Using anhelar emphasizes the intensity and almost poetic quality of the speaker’s wish to live near the sea.

Why isn’t an explicit subject pronoun, such as “I,” included in the sentence?

Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb conjugation already makes the subject clear. Here, solía is conjugated in the first-person singular, so it’s understood that the speaker is referring to themselves without needing to explicitly say “yo” (I).

How does the phrase cerca del mar demonstrate the use of contraction in Spanish?

In Spanish, when combining de (of/from) with el (the), they contract to form del. Since mar is a masculine noun, de el mar becomes del mar. Thus, cerca del mar correctly means “near the sea.”

What purpose does the phrase para disfrutar la brisa y el sonido de las olas serve in the sentence?

This phrase explains the purpose behind the speaker’s long-held wish. The preposition para introduces the intended goal: to enjoy the breeze and the sound of the waves. It shows that living near the sea isn’t an end in itself, but a means to achieve this pleasurable experience.