Quiero beber agua en la noche.

I want to drink water at night.

Breakdown of Quiero beber agua en la noche.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• el agua: the water
• beber: to drink
• la noche: the night
• en: at

Questions & Answers about Quiero beber agua en la noche.

Why is it Quiero and not Yo quiero at the start of the sentence?

In Spanish, it’s common to drop the subject pronoun (in this case, yo) when the verb form already makes it clear who is performing the action. Since quiero is only used for yo (“I”), the sentence Quiero beber agua en la noche is perfectly understandable without saying Yo. However, including Yo can add emphasis or clarity in certain contexts.

Why do we use beber instead of another verb like tomar?

Both beber and tomar can mean “to drink,” and they’re often interchangeable. Beber is more direct in meaning “to drink,” while tomar can have additional uses (e.g., “to take” as in tomar un autobús). In many regions of Spain, they use beber and tomar for drinking almost equally, but some speakers gravitate more toward one or the other depending on their preference or regional usage.

Why do we say agua (a feminine noun) but use the masculine article el sometimes?

Agua is a feminine noun, but because it starts with a stressed a sound, Spanish grammar requires using el before it to avoid the awkward repetition of the vowel sound, as in la agua. However, we continue to treat it as feminine in plural form (las aguas) and with adjectives in most contexts (e.g., el agua fría).

Could we say por la noche instead of en la noche?

Yes, por la noche is more common in many Spanish-speaking areas when you mean “at night” in general. En la noche is also correct but can emphasize the specific block of time during the night. In Spain, learners often hear por la noche frequently in day-to-day speech to mean “in the evening/night.”

Do I have to change the article la in en la noche to something else?

No, noche is a feminine noun that follows the usual pattern, so it takes the feminine article la. Unlike agua, noche does not begin with a stressed a sound, so there is no rule requiring el here. Therefore, en la noche is grammatically correct and remains unchanged.