Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Quiero cocinar en mi casa.

In Spanish, when you want to say you want to do something, you simply use Quiero + [infinitive]. There’s no “a” in between. Saying Quiero a cocinar would sound incorrect to a native speaker.

Which tense is Quiero?

Quiero is the present tense (indicative mood) of the verb querer, which means “to want.” It’s the first-person singular form, so it specifically means “I want.”

Why do we say en mi casa instead of a mi casa?

In Spanish, en indicates a location (“in” or “at”), while a most often indicates movement toward something. Since you’re specifying where you want to cook (in your house), en is correct.

Could I say Me gustaría cocinar en mi casa instead?

Yes, Me gustaría cocinar en mi casa is perfectly acceptable too, but it has a slightly softer meaning, translating roughly to “I would like to cook at home.” Quiero sounds a bit stronger and more direct, meaning “I want.”

Can I emphasize that I am the one who wants to cook?

You can add yo to emphasize the subject, so: Yo quiero cocinar en mi casa. The pronoun yo isn’t strictly necessary because quiero already indicates “I,” but including it can add emphasis.