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Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.

Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.
I want to hug my grandfather.

Breakdown of Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.

yo
I
querer
to want
mi
my
a
to
abrazar
to hug
el abuelo
the grandfather
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Questions & Answers about Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.

Why is there an a before mi abuelo? In English we just say “I want to hug my grandfather” without to before “my grandfather”.

The a here is the personal a, a special feature of Spanish.

  • It’s used before a direct object that is a specific person (or pet):
    • Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo. = I want to hug my grandfather.
    • Veo a María. = I see María.
  • It does not translate directly into English.
  • You do not use it with things:
    • Quiero abrazar este oso de peluche. (no a)
      I want to hug this teddy bear.

So a mi abuelo shows that my grandfather is the person receiving the action of hugging.

Why is it quiero abrazar and not quiero a abrazar?

In Spanish, when you have two verbs in a row, the first is conjugated and the second is usually in the infinitive with no preposition between them:

  • Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.
  • Puedo ayudar.
  • Necesito dormir.

The pattern here is:

[conjugated verb] + [infinitive]

So you say quiero abrazar, not quiero a abrazar.
The a in the sentence belongs to a mi abuelo, not to abrazar.

What is the difference between Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo and Quiero a mi abuelo?

They mean different things:

  • Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.
    → I want to hug my grandfather.
    Here quiero = I want (to do something), and abrazar is the action.

  • Quiero a mi abuelo.
    → I love my grandfather.
    In many contexts, querer a [person] means “to love [someone]”, especially family, partners, close friends.

So:

  • quiero abrazar a alguien = I want to hug someone.
  • quiero a alguien = I love someone.
Why is it mi abuelo and not me abuelo like in English “my/me”?

Spanish separates “my” and “me” clearly:

  • mi = my (possessive adjective, used before nouns)
    • mi abuelo = my grandfather
    • mi casa = my house
  • me = me / myself (object pronoun)
    • Él me abraza. = He hugs me.
    • Quiero abrazarme. = I want to hug myself.

So, in mi abuelo, you need the possessive mi, not the object pronoun me.

Does mi change for masculine/feminine or singular/plural, like my in English?

Mi does not change for gender, but it does change for singular vs plural:

  • Singular:
    • mi abuelo = my grandfather
    • mi abuela = my grandmother
  • Plural:
    • mis abuelos = my grandparents / my grandfathers
    • mis abuelas = my grandmothers

So:

  • mi for one thing/person.
  • mis for more than one.
How would I say “I want to hug my grandmothers / grandparents” instead?

You just make the nouns plural and keep the same structure:

  • Quiero abrazar a mis abuelos. = I want to hug my grandparents.
  • Quiero abrazar a mis abuelas. = I want to hug my grandmothers.

Notice:

  • mi → mis
  • abuelo → abuelos
  • abuela → abuelas
    The personal a stays: a mis abuelos / a mis abuelas.
Could I say Yo quiero abrazar a mi abuelo, or is yo wrong?

You can say Yo quiero abrazar a mi abuelo, and it’s correct.

  • Spanish usually omits subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) because the verb ending already shows the subject.
    • Quiero already tells us it’s yo.
  • You use yo when you want to emphasize “I”:
    • Yo quiero abrazar a mi abuelo (no tú).
      I want to hug my grandfather (not you).

Both are correct:

  • Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo. (neutral)
  • Yo quiero abrazar a mi abuelo. (emphasis on I)
How is quiero formed, and what tense is it?

Quiero is the present tense, first person singular of the verb querer (to want / to love).

Present tense of querer (in Spain and most of the Spanish‑speaking world):

  • yo quiero – I want
  • tú quieres – you want (informal singular)
  • él / ella / usted quiere – he / she / you (formal) want
  • nosotros / nosotras queremos – we want
  • vosotros / vosotras queréis – you all want (informal plural, mainly Spain)
  • ellos / ellas / ustedes quieren – they / you all (formal) want

So quiero = “I want”.

Why does querer change its vowel (quiero, quieres, etc.)?

Querer is a stem‑changing verb. In the present tense, in most forms:

  • e → ie in the stressed syllable.

So:

  • querer (infinitive)
  • yo quiero (e → ie)
  • tú quieres
  • él quiere
  • nosotros queremos (no change: stress is on -e- in -mos)
  • vosotros queréis (no change)
  • ellos quieren

This pattern (e → ie) also appears in other verbs like:

  • pensar → pienso (to think)
  • entender → entiendo (to understand)
Could I say Quiero a mi abuelo abrazar like in poetry or German word order?

In normal, everyday Spanish, you would not say Quiero a mi abuelo abrazar.

  • The natural order is:
    • Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.

Moving elements around is possible in Spanish, but Quiero a mi abuelo abrazar sounds very unnatural or poetic/old‑fashioned at best.
For emphasis you might hear:

  • A mi abuelo lo quiero abrazar.
    (emphasis on my grandfather, using lo as a pronoun)

But if you’re learning, stick with:

  • Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo.
If I wanted to use a pronoun, could I say Lo quiero abrazar?

Yes. With a direct object pronoun, you have two correct options:

  1. Before the conjugated verb:
    • Lo quiero abrazar. = I want to hug him.
  2. Attached to the infinitive:
    • Quiero abrazarlo.

If it’s clear from context that “him” is your grandfather, you can omit a mi abuelo:

  • Lo quiero abrazar.
  • Quiero abrazarlo.

In Spain, lo is the standard pronoun for a masculine singular direct object (him/it).

How would I say “I am hugging my grandfather” instead of “I want to hug my grandfather”?

You’d change the verb from querer abrazar to the present progressive of abrazar:

  • Estoy abrazando a mi abuelo.
    = I am hugging my grandfather (right now).

Structure:

  • estar (conjugated) + gerundio (-ando / -iendo)
    → estar (estoy, estás, etc.) + abrazando
Is abuelo only “grandfather,” or can it mean something else in Spain?

Primarily:

  • abuelo = grandfather
  • abuela = grandmother
  • abuelos = grandparents

In Spain, you might also hear affectionate or colloquial words for grandparents, like:

  • yayo / yaya
  • abu (short for abuelo/abuela)

But in standard, neutral Spanish, abuelo simply means grandfather.
So Quiero abrazar a mi abuelo is clear and standard.