Breakdown of Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
Questions & Answers about Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
In Spanish, after “cuando” (and other time words like hasta que, en cuanto, después de que):
- If you talk about a future event that hasn’t happened yet, you use the present subjunctive:
- Cuando termine esta temporada… = When this season is over… (in the future, not yet real)
- If you talk about habitual actions or the past, you use the indicative:
- Cuando termina la temporada, siempre me relajo. = When the season ends, I always relax. (habit)
- Cuando terminó la temporada, me relajé. = When the season ended, I relaxed. (past)
Spanish normally doesn’t use the future tense directly after cuando in these clauses, so
❌ Cuando terminará esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor… is incorrect.
So “termine” is the present subjunctive showing this is a future, uncertain event (“once it’s over”).
Not if you mean a specific future time.
- Cuando termina esta temporada… (indicative) sounds like you’re talking about a general rule or habit, as in:
- Whenever the season ends, my Spanish ends up better than at the beginning (every season, in general).
To talk about this particular season in the future, Spanish prefers the subjunctive:
- ✅ Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
When this season is over, my Spanish will be better than at the beginning.
So for a one-time future event, “termine” is the natural choice.
The verb “quedar” has several meanings, including:
- to stay / remain
- to end up / turn out
- to suit / fit (clothing: me queda bien)
In this sentence:
- “mi español quedará mejor” ≈ “my Spanish will end up / will end up being better”
It emphasizes the result after a process (the season of study, practice, etc.). It suggests a change from an earlier state.
You could also say:
- “mi español será mejor que al inicio”
This is also correct and means “my Spanish will be better than at the beginning”, but it’s a bit more neutral, just a plain future statement.
Nuance:
- quedará mejor → focuses on the resulting state after a process.
- será mejor → simply states that in the future, it will be better.
Both are natural; “quedará mejor” sounds very idiomatic and colloquial.
Yes, you can say:
- Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español estará mejor que al inicio.
Differences in nuance:
- quedará mejor → “will end up better”, result after something is completed; very common in spoken Spanish.
- estará mejor → “will be better (at that time)”; focuses more on the state in the future moment.
All of these are acceptable:
- quedará mejor
- estará mejor
- será mejor
They’re all understandable; the differences are subtle and about style/emphasis.
- “mi español” means “my Spanish” in the sense of my level / my ability / the way I speak Spanish.
- “el español” usually means “the Spanish language” in general.
So:
- Mi español quedará mejor…
→ My Spanish (how I speak it, my skills) will end up better… - El español es una lengua muy hablada.
→ Spanish is a widely spoken language.
Using “mi español” personalizes it: you’re talking about your own proficiency, not the language itself.
“Temporada” can mean several types of “seasons” or periods:
- A TV series season: la primera temporada de la serie
- A sports season: la temporada de fútbol
- A tourist/high season: temporada alta / baja
- Any defined period of time or activity.
It can be used for weather seasons if you specify, e.g. “temporada de lluvias”, but the usual word for summer/winter/spring/fall is “estación” (estación del año).
So in Latin American Spanish, “esta temporada” will typically be interpreted as “this season” of some activity (a course, a TV show, training period, etc.), depending on context.
“Que al inicio” is a comparison:
- “mejor que al inicio” = “better than [it was] at the beginning”
Spanish often omits the repeated words in the second part of a comparison when they’re obvious. More complete versions would be:
- mi español quedará mejor que (lo estaba) al inicio.
- mi español quedará mejor que al inicio de la temporada.
The understood full idea is:
- “mi español quedará mejor de lo que estaba al inicio.”
My Spanish will end up better than it was at the beginning.
So “que al inicio” is short for “than at the beginning (of this same thing)”.
They are very close in meaning:
- al inicio = at the start / at the beginning
- al principio = at the beginning
- al comienzo = at the beginning / at the start
All three are understandable. Slight nuances:
- al principio is extremely common and very idiomatic in everyday speech.
- al inicio can sound a bit more neutral or technical, but it’s still common in everyday language.
- al comienzo is also common and maybe slightly more formal/literary in some contexts.
You could say:
- … mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
- … mi español quedará mejor que al principio.
- … mi español quedará mejor que al comienzo.
All are fine; “al principio” might be the most frequently heard in casual speech.
“Al” is the contraction of “a + el”, literally “to the”.
For this expression, Spanish normally uses “a”:
- ✅ al inicio
- ✅ al principio
- ✅ al comienzo
“En el inicio” can exist, but it’s much less common in this sense and can sound more technical or awkward in everyday speech. For time expressions meaning “at the beginning”, “al + noun” is the standard pattern:
- al final (at the end)
- al inicio / al principio / al comienzo (at the beginning)
So “al inicio” is the natural, idiomatic phrasing.
Can I change the word order and say:
“Mi español quedará mejor que al inicio cuando termine esta temporada.”?
Yes, this is grammatically correct.
Word order in Spanish is fairly flexible with subordinate clauses:
- Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
- Mi español quedará mejor que al inicio cuando termine esta temporada.
Both mean the same thing. The first version (with “cuando termine…” at the beginning) is often clearer and more natural, because the time frame is established right away.
The second version can sound a bit more packed at the end, but it is still okay in everyday speech.
Yes. Both verbs are very common in Latin American Spanish:
- terminar = to finish / to end
- acabar = to finish / to end
So you can say:
- Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
- Cuando acabe esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
The meaning is the same. “Terminar” is slightly more neutral; “acabar” is also very common and completely natural.
The sentence is natural and correct in Latin American Spanish:
- Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español quedará mejor que al inicio.
Some very common alternative phrasings you might also hear:
- Cuando termine esta temporada, mi español va a estar mejor que al principio.
- Al final de esta temporada, mi español va a quedar mejor que al inicio.
- Cuando acabe esta temporada, mi español será mejor que al principio.
But as written, the original sentence is idiomatic, clearly understood, and appropriate for everyday speech.