Breakdown of Mis amigos quieren merendar en el parque durante dos horas.
querer
to want
en
in
el
the
el parque
the park
mis
my
durante
during
la hora
the hour
merendar
to have a snack
dos
two
Questions & Answers about Mis amigos quieren merendar en el parque durante dos horas.
What does merendar mean, and why is it used here instead of a more general verb like comer?
In Spain, merendar usually refers to having a light meal or snack in the mid-afternoon or early evening, which is a common social tradition. It’s more specific than comer (“to eat”) and highlights the casual nature of the snack time.
Why do we say quieren merendar without the preposition “a” before merendar?
In Spanish, when certain verbs (like querer) are followed by another verb in the infinitive, no preposition is used. It’s a common structure: querer + [infinitive]. So we simply say quieren merendar (“they want to snack”).
Why is Mis amigos placed at the beginning of the sentence?
Spanish word order can be flexible, but putting Mis amigos first simply emphasizes who wants to do the action. You could also see variations like Quieren merendar mis amigos, but the most natural order here places the subject at the start.
Does durante dos horas always come at the end of the sentence?
Time expressions are often placed at the end, but Spanish can be flexible. You could say Durante dos horas, mis amigos quieren merendar en el parque, but endings are more common and sound more natural in everyday speech.
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