A veces me gusta regresar a mi ciudad natal para visitar a mis abuelos.

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Breakdown of A veces me gusta regresar a mi ciudad natal para visitar a mis abuelos.

• gustar: to like
• mi: my
• para: to
• a veces: sometimes
• a: to
• mis: my
• la ciudad: the city
• visitar: to visit
• regresar: to return
• los abuelos: the grandparents

Questions & Answers about A veces me gusta regresar a mi ciudad natal para visitar a mis abuelos.

Why is it me gusta and not something like gusto?

In Spanish, gustar works differently from regular verbs. It literally translates to something like to be pleasing (to me). When you say me gusta, you’re saying it pleases me, with me indicating the person experiencing the pleasure. That’s why the form is me gusta rather than gusto.

Why do we say regresar a mi ciudad natal? Why use a?

When talking about movement to a place in Spanish, you generally use a (meaning to). For example, regresar a (go back to) or ir a (go to). The preposition a clarifies your destination. So regresar a mi ciudad natal means to go back to my hometown.

Why do we use para before visitar a mis abuelos?

Para is a preposition often used to express purpose or goal. In this sentence, para visitar indicates that the purpose of returning is to visit. In English, you might just say to for this same reason, but in Spanish we generally use para to talk about the purpose of an action.

Is saying regresar typical in Spain or would they say volver?

Both regresar and volver are understood and used throughout the Spanish-speaking world, including Spain. Regresar may be slightly more formal or typical in written contexts, while volver is very common in everyday speech. However, there’s no rule barring you from using one or the other; both are correct and natural.

Can we place a veces anywhere else in the sentence?

A veces is quite flexible in Spanish. You could place it at the start (A veces me gusta...), in the middle (Me gusta a veces regresar...), or at the end (...para visitar a mis abuelos a veces). But the most typical and natural placements are either at the beginning or right before the verb it modifies.