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Quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia.

Quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia.
I want to visit a distant forest with my family.
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Questions & Answers about Quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia.

Why is there no “a” before “un bosque”? In English I say “visit a forest.”

In Spanish, you normally don’t use the preposition “a” before direct objects that are things:

  • Quiero visitar un bosque. = I want to visit a forest.
  • Quiero visitar la ciudad. = I want to visit the city.

You do use the “personal a” before direct objects that are specific people (or beloved pets):

  • Quiero visitar a mi abuela. = I want to visit my grandmother.
  • Quiero visitar a mis amigos. = I want to visit my friends.

So:

  • Thing: visitar un bosque (no a)
  • Person: visitar a mi familia (yes a, if your family is the thing being visited, not the people you go with)
Why is it “Quiero visitar” and not something like “Quiero a visitar”?

When querer means “to want”, it is followed directly by an infinitive (the basic form of a verb) without any preposition:

  • Quiero visitar. = I want to visit.
  • Quiero comer. = I want to eat.
  • Quiero estudiar. = I want to study.

So “Quiero visitar” is correct, and “Quiero a visitar” is wrong in this meaning.

(Querer a does exist, but it means “to love” a person: Quiero a mi mamá. = I love my mom.)

Why is “visitar” in the infinitive form here?

In Spanish, when one verb (querer, poder, deber, necesitar, etc.) is followed by another verb, the second verb is usually in its infinitive form:

  • Quiero visitar… = I want to visit…
  • Puedo visitar… = I can visit…
  • Debo visitar… = I must/should visit…
  • Necesito visitar… = I need to visit…

So after Quiero, you use the bare infinitive visitar, not a conjugated form.

Why is it “Quiero visitar” and not “Yo quiero visitar”?

Both are correct:

  • Quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia.
  • Yo quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia.

In Spanish, the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.) is often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is:

  • quiero → clearly yo
  • quieres → clearly tú
  • quiere → él/ella/usted

You usually add yo only for emphasis or contrast:

  • Yo quiero visitar un bosque lejano, pero ellos no quieren.
    I want to visit a distant forest, but they don’t.

In a neutral sentence, the more natural option is simply Quiero visitar…

Why is it “mi familia” and not “mis familia”?

Because “familia” is singular in Spanish.

  • mi = my (before singular nouns)
  • mis = my (before plural nouns)

Examples:

  • mi familia = my family (family = one group, singular noun)
  • mis amigos = my friends (friends = plural)
  • mi casa = my house
  • mis casas = my houses

Even though “family” feels like “many people,” grammatically it’s one unit in Spanish, so you use mi familia.

Why is it “un bosque lejano” and not “un lejano bosque”?

The most neutral and common word order is:

noun + adjective → bosque lejano

So:

  • un bosque lejano = a distant forest (plain descriptive)

You can say “un lejano bosque”, but it sounds more literary, poetic, or emotional, giving a bit of a story-telling or “magical” feeling:

  • En un lejano bosque vivía un dragón.
    In a faraway forest lived a dragon.

For everyday, neutral speech, stick with “un bosque lejano.”

Why is “lejano” masculine and singular? How would it change in other cases?

Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

Here, bosque is:

  • masculine
  • singular

So the adjective is also masculine singular: lejano.

Other forms:

  • un bosque lejano = a distant forest (masc. sing.)
  • unos bosques lejanos = some distant forests (masc. pl.)
  • una ciudad lejana = a distant city (fem. sing.)
  • unas ciudades lejanas = some distant cities (fem. pl.)

Change lejano → lejanos / lejana / lejanas depending on the noun.

What’s the difference between “bosque”, “selva”, and “jungla”?

All can be translated as kinds of forests, but they’re used differently:

  • bosque
    General word for forest / woods, any climate.

    • un bosque de pinos = a pine forest
    • Vamos al bosque. = Let’s go to the woods.

  • selva
    Usually means tropical rainforest / jungle (dense, humid, many plants and animals).

    • la selva amazónica = the Amazon rainforest/jungle

  • jungla
    Also “jungle,” often used more colloquially or figuratively:

    • Esto es una jungla. = This is a jungle (chaotic place).

In “un bosque lejano”, the idea is a forest or woods, not specifically a tropical jungle.

Can I say “Quisiera visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia” instead of “Quiero visitar…”?

Yes, and the meaning is very similar, but the tone changes:

  • Quiero visitar…
    → direct, clear: I want to visit…

  • Quisiera visitar…
    → more polite, soft, or hypothetical, similar to:
    I would like to visit… or I wish I could visit…

In many Latin American contexts, quisiera sounds more polite or formal, especially when making a request:

  • Quisiera reservar una mesa. = I’d like to reserve a table.

For just stating your desire, Quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia is perfectly natural.

Can I move “con mi familia” to a different position in the sentence?

Yes, but some positions sound more natural than others. These are all grammatically correct, with slightly different emphasis:

  1. Quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia.
    (Most natural and neutral word order.)

  2. Con mi familia, quiero visitar un bosque lejano.
    (More emphasis on with my family; a bit more formal/written.)

  3. Quiero, con mi familia, visitar un bosque lejano.
    (Possible, but sounds unusual / very stylized in everyday speech.)

Best option for normal conversation: Quiero visitar un bosque lejano con mi familia.