Pretendemos llegar temprano.

Pretendemos is the 1st person plural present indicative form of pretender.

That means it corresponds to we in English:

• yo pretendo
• tú pretendes
• él/ella pretende
• nosotros/nosotras pretendemos
• vosotros/vosotras pretendéis
• ellos/ellas pretenden

So pretendemos tells you the subject is we, even though nosotros is not written.

Not usually. This is a very important false friend.

In Spanish, pretender often means:

• to intend
• to aim
• to plan

So in this sentence, it means something like we intend to arrive early, not we are pretending to arrive early.

If you want the English idea of pretend meaning act as if something is true, Spanish often uses:

• fingir
• hacer como que...

For example:

• Finge estar enfermo = He is pretending to be ill

Spanish often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here, -emos in pretendemos clearly tells you it means we.

So:

• Pretendemos llegar temprano = natural
• Nosotros pretendemos llegar temprano = also correct, but more emphatic

You would add nosotros only if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:

• Nosotros pretendemos llegar temprano, pero ellos no.

Because after a conjugated verb like pretendemos, Spanish often uses a second verb in the infinitive.

The pattern is:

• pretender + infinitive

So:

• pretendemos llegar
• pretendo estudiar
• pretenden salir

This works much like English intend to + verb, except Spanish does not use a separate word for to here.

Because pretender is followed directly by an infinitive.

So you say:

• pretender llegar
• pretender hacer
• pretender salir

Not:

• pretender a llegar

Different verbs require different patterns in Spanish. For example:

• ir a llegar would be wrong here
• empezar a llegar is correct because empezar often takes a

So this is something you learn verb by verb.

It is in the present indicative.

Pretendemos is present tense, but in English it often refers to a current intention about the future:

• We intend to arrive early
• We’re planning to arrive early

So grammatically it is present, but its meaning can point forward.

It is correct, but in everyday conversation it can sound a bit more formal, careful, or deliberate than some other options.

In many casual situations, people might more naturally say:

• Queremos llegar temprano = We want to arrive early
• Pensamos llegar temprano = We’re planning/intending to arrive early
• Vamos a llegar temprano = We’re going to arrive early

So pretendemos llegar temprano is perfectly grammatical, but depending on context it may sound slightly more formal than the most common everyday choice.

Here, temprano is an adverb, modifying llegar.

It tells you how/when they plan to arrive:

• llegar temprano = to arrive early

As an adverb, temprano does not change form:

• not tempranos
• not temprana

It can also be an adjective in other contexts, for example:

• una hora temprana = an early hour

But in this sentence, it is definitely an adverb.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

preh-ten-DEH-mos yeh-GAR tem-PRA-no

A few key points:

• pretendemos is stressed on de
• llegar is stressed on the last syllable: gar
• in much of Spain, ll is usually pronounced like y
• r in temprano is a tapped Spanish r, not a strong English r

If you want a rough syllable breakdown:

• pre-ten-de-mos
• lle-gar
• tem-pra-no

Yes, but the most neutral and natural order is:

Pretendemos llegar temprano.

Spanish word order is flexible, but not every change sounds equally natural.

For example:

• Temprano pretendemos llegar = possible, but marked or literary
• Pretendemos temprano llegar = much less natural

So for normal speech, keep:

• Pretendemos llegar temprano

Yes. Depending on context, pretender can suggest:

• an intention
• an aim
• even a somewhat firm objective

So it can sound a little stronger or more deliberate than simply querer.

Compare:

• Queremos llegar temprano = we want to arrive early
• Pretendemos llegar temprano = we intend/aim to arrive early

The exact force depends on tone and situation, but pretender often feels more like a stated intention than a simple wish.

Yes. Besides to intend/aim, it can also mean things like:

• to claim
• to seek
• in some contexts, to court someone

For example:

• Pretende ser experto = He claims / tries to present himself as an expert
• La pretendía = He was courting her

So it is a useful verb, but you must rely on context. In Pretendemos llegar temprano, the meaning is clearly the intend/plan sense.

To make it negative, put no before the conjugated verb:

• No pretendemos llegar temprano.

To make it a question, Spanish often just uses intonation or question marks:

• ¿Pretendemos llegar temprano?

You can also combine both:

• ¿No pretendemos llegar temprano?

The basic structure of the sentence stays the same.