Espero con emoción la cena en casa de mi tía.

I wait with excitement for dinner at my aunt's house.

Breakdown of Espero con emoción la cena en casa de mi tía.

• yo: I
• la casa: the house
• en: at
• mi: my
• con: with
• de: of
• la tía: the aunt
• la cena: the dinner
• esperar: to wait
• la emoción: the excitement

Questions & Answers about Espero con emoción la cena en casa de mi tía.

Why do we use la cena instead of just cena in this sentence?

In Spanish, using the definite article la before a noun can give it a more specific meaning. Here, la cena refers to "the dinner" the speaker is expecting, rather than dinner in general. It helps clarify that it’s a particular event.

What does con emoción imply in the sentence?

Using con emoción emphasizes that the speaker is genuinely excited or eager. It literally means "with emotion," but idiomatically it conveys enthusiasm or anticipation, similar to saying "I'm looking forward to it with excitement" in English.

Why do we say en casa de mi tía rather than en la casa de mi tía?

In many parts of the Spanish-speaking world (particularly in Spain), it’s common to drop the definite article when referring to a person’s home with the structure en casa de + [person]. Both forms are correct, but en casa de mi tía is a common, more colloquial way to say "at my aunt’s house."

Why is the verb espero in the present tense here instead of saying something like estoy esperando?

Spanish often uses the simple present tense to express a future or near-future action in a more immediate way. Espero can indicate not only a current state of anticipation but also an implied future event. Estoy esperando would mean you are literally in the process of waiting right now, which can sound more literal or physical ("I'm currently waiting").

Could we say Espero la cena con emoción instead of Espero con emoción la cena?

Yes, you could switch the order to Espero la cena con emoción and still be grammatically correct. Spanish word order is somewhat flexible. Putting con emoción earlier, however, can place extra emphasis on the excitement itself, while placing it after la cena can make the emphasis feel a bit more neutral. Both versions are valid.