Mi padre quiere descansar después del trabajo.

to want

Breakdown of Mi padre quiere descansar después del trabajo.

• mi: my
• el trabajo: the work
• el: the
• después de: after
• descansar: to rest
• el padre: the father

Questions & Answers about Mi padre quiere descansar después del trabajo.

Why is descansar used in its infinitive form instead of something like descansa?

In Spanish, when a conjugated verb (like quiere) is followed by another verb, the second verb often remains in the infinitive form. For example, quiere descansar means “he wants to rest.” If you used descansa, it would mean “he rests,” which wouldn’t fit the structure expressing “wants to.”

Why does the sentence say Mi padre quiere... rather than Mi padre querer...?

Quiere is the third-person singular present tense of querer. Spanish requires that we conjugate the verb according to the subject. Since “my father” (mi padre) is a third-person singular subject, the correct conjugated form is quiere.

What is the difference between después de and después del?

Después de means “after,” but when it’s followed by el (“the”), it contracts to del. So después de + el trabajo → después del trabajo. You usually see this contraction with masculine singular nouns that use el as an article.

Could I say Mi padre quiere descansar después de trabajar instead?

Yes, you could. Después de trabajar means “after working,” focusing on the activity. Después del trabajo focuses more on “after the workday” or “after his job.” Both are correct but have slightly different nuances.

Why do we say Mi padre and not just Padre?

In Spanish, it’s very common to use the possessive with family members, like mi padre (“my father”) rather than simply “father.” Using padre alone could sound more formal or impersonal in everyday speech. It’s typical in Spanish to clarify the relationship by saying mi, tu, etc.