Breakdown of Quiero escribir una frase larga en español sin mirar el diccionario.
Questions & Answers about Quiero escribir una frase larga en español sin mirar el diccionario.
In Spanish, querer + infinitive is the normal way to say “to want to do something.”
- Quiero escribir = I want to write
- Quiero comer = I want to eat
You do not add de here, so quiero de escribir is incorrect.
Querer que + verb is used when what you want is that someone else does something, and the verb goes in the subjunctive:
- Quiero que escribas una frase. = I want you to write a sentence.
So for your own action, use querer + infinitive: quiero escribir.
You can say Yo quiero escribir, but you usually don’t need to.
Spanish verb endings already show the subject:
- quiero = I want
- quieres = you (singular) want
- quiere = he/she/you-formal want
Because quiero clearly indicates “I”, native speakers normally just say:
- Quiero escribir una frase larga…
You add yo only for emphasis or contrast:
- Yo quiero escribir, pero él no quiere.
I want to write, but he doesn’t.
Because frase is a feminine noun in Spanish.
- la frase = the sentence / phrase
- una frase = a sentence / phrase
Adjectives have to agree with the gender and number of the noun. Since frase is feminine and singular:
- article: una (not un)
- adjective: larga (not largo)
So:
- ✅ una frase larga
- ❌ un frase largo
In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives usually go after the noun:
- una casa grande = a big house
- un coche nuevo = a new car
- una frase larga = a long sentence
You can put some adjectives before the noun, but it often sounds more literary or changes the nuance:
- una larga frase – possible, but more stylistic or poetic; in everyday speech people would usually say una frase larga.
So for normal, neutral Spanish, noun + adjective is the safest pattern: una frase larga.
Yes, you could say:
- Quiero escribir una oración larga en español…
But there’s a nuance:
- frase is a bit broader: a phrase, a sentence, a line. Very common in everyday speech.
- oración is more specifically a grammatical sentence (with a verb), and also means prayer in a religious context.
In casual conversation about language, frase is very common and perfectly natural in Spain.
With verbs of speaking, writing, reading, etc., Spanish normally drops the article before the language:
- hablar español = to speak Spanish
- escribir en español = to write in Spanish
- leer en francés = to read in French
Using el would sound odd in this context:
- ❌ escribir en el español
You do see el español when you talk about the language as a thing:
- El español es una lengua muy hablada.
Spanish is a widely spoken language.
In Spain, both español and castellano are used, and everyone will understand both.
Roughly:
- español – the most common, neutral way to say “Spanish” as a language.
- castellano – often used to distinguish Spanish from other languages spoken in Spain (Catalan, Basque, Galician, etc.), or in more formal/official contexts.
In your sentence, the most typical version is:
- Quiero escribir una frase larga en español…
Using en castellano would also be correct, just slightly different in nuance or regional feel.
When you talk about writing, speaking, or saying something using a language, you normally use en + language:
- escribir en español = to write in Spanish
- hablar en inglés = to speak in English
- pensar en francés = to think in French
Escribir español without en would usually be understood as “to write the Spanish language” (more like a school subject) and sounds odd in this context. The natural expression is escribir en español.
The structure sin + infinitive expresses “without doing something”:
- sin mirar = without looking
- sin comer = without eating
- sin decir nada = without saying anything
So:
- sin mirar el diccionario = without looking at the dictionary
You keep the verb in the infinitive, not a conjugated form:
- ❌ sin miro el diccionario
- ✅ sin mirar el diccionario
In Spanish:
- mirar = to look at, to watch (you actively direct your eyes)
- ver = to see (more passive, what your eyes perceive)
Here, the idea is “without looking at the dictionary”, so mirar is the natural choice.
That said, many native speakers might actually say:
- sin consultar el diccionario
- sin usar el diccionario
All of these are understandable, but mirar el diccionario is grammatically fine and matches the English idea of “look at the dictionary.”
Using el diccionario suggests “the dictionary” in a general or specific sense, often:
- the dictionary you usually use
- the one that is “obvious” in the context (your app, your physical dictionary, etc.)
So:
- sin mirar el diccionario = without looking at the dictionary (that I’d normally use)
If you said un diccionario:
- sin mirar un diccionario
it would sound more like “without looking at any dictionary whatsoever,” which is possible, but el diccionario is more natural here.
Both are correct, but the tone is different:
Quiero escribir una frase larga…
Direct, straightforward: I want to write…Me gustaría escribir una frase larga…
More polite/soft/tentative: I would like to write…
In Spanish, me gustaría (conditional of gustar) often sounds more polite or less demanding, similar to English “I’d like to …” instead of “I want …”.
For a neutral personal goal, Quiero escribir una frase larga en español sin mirar el diccionario sounds completely natural.