Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): El óptico me enviará un nuevo lente la próxima semana. - The optician will send me a new lens next week.

El óptico literally means “the optician.” In Latin America, an óptico is the professional who fits and sells corrective lenses and eyeglasses (they are not to be confused with an optometrista, who tests vision, or an oftalmólogo, who is a medical doctor specializing in eye health).

Why is óptico spelled with an accent on the first o?

Spanish words ending in a vowel, n, or s are normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable. Here, to shift the stress to the first syllable (“óp-ti-co”) instead of the penultimate, we add an accent mark. That makes óptico an esdrújula word (stressed on the antepenultimate syllable), which always carries an accent.

What role does me play in me enviará, and why is it placed before the verb?

Me is the indirect object pronoun meaning “to me” or “for me.” In Spanish, object pronouns normally precede a conjugated verb. So me enviará means “he/she will send (it) to me.”

Why is enviará in the future tense, and could I use another construction?

Enviará is the simple future (third-person singular of enviar) conveying a definite “will send.” You could also use the periphrastic future, which is very common in spoken Spanish:
• El óptico me va a enviar un nuevo lente la próxima semana.

Why is lente singular instead of lentes or gafas?

Here lente likely refers to a single contact lens or one replacement lens for glasses. If you wanted an entire pair of eyeglasses, you’d say lentes or gafas (the word for a full set).

Can the adjective nuevo come after lente, and would the meaning change?

Yes. You could say un lente nuevo. Placing nuevo before the noun (un nuevo lente) can slightly emphasize it as a new option or category. In everyday speech, though, both orders are understood and used.

Why do we say la próxima semana instead of just próxima semana?

In Spanish, time expressions like próxima semana, ayer, or el lunes typically take a definite article (la, el). Omitting it sounds odd to most speakers. Another equally common alternative is la semana que viene.

Why is próxima feminine here?

Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Semana is feminine singular, so we use próxima instead of próximo.

Are there synonyms for enviará that I could use in this context?

Yes. You could also say:
• mandará (will send)
• remitirá (will remit)
• hará llegar (will have [it] delivered): El óptico me hará llegar un nuevo lente la próxima semana.