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Quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca.

Quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca.
I want to study in the library again.
FromLesson 15inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca.

yo
I
querer
to want
en
in
estudiar
to study
la biblioteca
the library
volver a
to do again

Questions & Answers about Quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca.

What does the structure volver a + infinitive mean here?
It means “to do [the action] again” or “to go back to [doing it].” So volver a estudiar = “to study again / to go back to studying.” In Spain this is the most common way to express repetition or resumption after a break.
Why is there an a after volver?

Because the periphrastic construction is fixed: volver a + infinitive. The preposition a is required. Without it (e.g., volver estudiar) it’s ungrammatical. Compare:

  • Repetition: volver a estudiar (study again)
  • Motion to a place: volver a la biblioteca (go back to the library)
Could I say Quiero estudiar otra vez or … de nuevo instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, both are correct:

  • Quiero estudiar otra vez/de nuevo en la biblioteca. Nuance: volver a + infinitive often highlights resuming an activity after a pause; otra vez/de nuevo is a neutral “again.” In everyday Spain Spanish, all three options are fine; choose the one that sounds best to you.
Does the sentence mean “go back to the library” or “resume studying”?

It primarily means “resume studying,” with the location specified as the library. If you want to emphasize going back to the place, say:

Why isn’t yo written?
Spanish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the subject. Quiero (ending in -o) already tells us it’s “I.” You can add yo for emphasis or contrast: Yo quiero…
Why is volver not conjugated?
After verbs like querer, the next verb stays in the infinitive: querer + infinitive. Here you actually have a chain: querer + [volver a + estudiar]. Only querer is conjugated (quiero).
How would I say “I want him/her to study again in the library”?

Use a subordinate clause with the subjunctive because the subject changes:

  • Quiero que vuelva a estudiar en la biblioteca. Here vuelva is the present subjunctive of volver.
If I want to say “I want to study it again at the library,” where does the object pronoun go?

Both placements are correct:

Why en la biblioteca and not a la biblioteca?
Use en for location (in/at): estudiar en la biblioteca. Use a for direction/motion (to): ir/volver a la biblioteca. In this sentence, estudiar needs en.
Do I have to use the article la before biblioteca?
Yes, in this context Spanish normally uses the article: en la biblioteca. If you mean any library (non-specific), say en una biblioteca. Note that biblioteca is feminine, so it takes la/una.
Is regresar interchangeable with volver here?
To express repetition, the standard idiom is volver a + infinitive. In Spain, you wouldn’t normally say regresar a estudiar to mean “study again.” Regresar works well for returning to a place: Quiero regresar a la biblioteca, but use volver a estudiar for “study again.”
Can I move en la biblioteca to the beginning?
Yes: En la biblioteca, quiero volver a estudiar. This fronting emphasizes the location. The comma is optional and used for clarity; without it is also fine.
Any common mistakes to avoid with this sentence?
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
  • quiero: the qu sounds like k; the u is silent; stress on the first syllable (KYE-ro).
  • volver: v and b sound the same in Spanish; single r is a quick tap; stress on the last syllable (bol-VER).
  • estudiar: stress on the last syllable (es-tu-DIAR).
  • biblioteca: b/v sound the same; stress on “te” (bi-blio-TE-ca).
How can I make it softer/more polite than Quiero?
  • Me gustaría volver a estudiar en la biblioteca. (I’d like…)
  • Quisiera volver a estudiar en la biblioteca. (I would like… more formal/polite)
  • Quería volver a estudiar en la biblioteca. (Past tense used as a softener in Spain)
  • Tengo ganas de volver a estudiar en la biblioteca. (I feel like…)
How do I say “I don’t want to study at the library anymore”?
  • Ya no quiero estudiar en la biblioteca. (no longer) If you want to keep the “again” idea:
  • Ya no quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca. For stronger emphasis:
  • No quiero estudiar en la biblioteca nunca más.
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