No quiero contagiar a mi amigo.

I do not want to infect my friend.

Breakdown of No quiero contagiar a mi amigo.

• el amigo: the friend
• yo: I
• querer: to want
• mi: my
• a: to
• contagiar: to infect

Questions & Answers about No quiero contagiar a mi amigo.

Why do we need to use a before mi amigo?

In Spanish, the personal a is used before a direct object that is a person (or a beloved pet). It doesn’t have a direct equivalent in English, but it’s a marker indicating that the object is a person. Hence, we say contagiar a mi amigo rather than contagiar mi amigo.

Why is the verb contagiar in the infinitive form here?

After quiero, which is a conjugated form of querer, any verb that follows remains in the infinitive. So if you want to express “I don’t want to do something,” you say No quiero + [infinitive] (for example, No quiero comer, No quiero hablar, No quiero contagiar, etc.).

Do we ever use the subjunctive with contagiar in a similar structure?

Not in this exact expression. Here, the structure No quiero contagiar a mi amigo does not require the subjunctive. However, if you change the sentence to something like No quiero que mi amigo se contagie, then the dependent clause uses the subjunctive (se contagie) because it’s expressing a desire for someone else not to get infected.

Is contagiar only used in the context of illnesses?

Although contagiar most commonly refers to spreading an illness, it can also be used figuratively to mean spreading emotions or feelings. For instance, you might say contagiar entusiasmo to mean you’re spreading enthusiasm to others.

What’s the difference between contagiar and infectar?

Both can mean to infect, but contagiar focuses on the idea of passing something from one individual to another, highlighting the transmission aspect. Infectar can also be used more generally, including contexts like viruses infecting a computer or bacteria infecting a wound. In casual conversation about health, contagiar is very common when talking about how an illness spreads among people.