Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Quiero ser voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente. - I want to be a volunteer in an NGO that takes care of the environment.

Quiero ser voluntarix (with x, but this is not standard and is mostly written, not spoken).
Quiero hacer voluntariado en una ONG… (using voluntariado, “volunteering,” avoids gender).

Why is it en una ONG and not para una ONG?

Both en and para can appear with ONG, but they emphasize slightly different things.

en una ONG = “in/at an NGO” → focuses on where you will be a volunteer (the place/organization where you work).
- Quiero ser voluntaria en una ONG.
  “I want to be a volunteer at an NGO.”
para una ONG = “for an NGO” → focuses more on for whom or on whose behalf you work.
- Quiero trabajar para una ONG.
  “I want to work for an NGO.”

In this sentence, en is very natural because being voluntaria en una ONG sounds like “being part of that organization as a volunteer.”

What does ONG mean, and is it used in Spain?

ONG stands for Organización No Gubernamental — literally Non-Governmental Organization, i.e. an NGO.

It is the standard term in Spain and is used all the time in everyday speech, the media, and official contexts.
Pronunciation in Spain: each letter separately, like English “O-N-G,” but with Spanish letter names:
- o – ene – ge → /o ˈene ˈxe/

So una ONG = “an NGO.”

Why is it una ONG and not un ONG, since ONG starts with “O”?

The choice between un and una depends on the grammatical gender of the noun, not on its first letter.

ONG (Organización No Gubernamental) is short for organización, which is feminine in Spanish.
Therefore, you must say:
- una ONG, la ONG, esta ONG, etc.

The initial letter O in the abbreviation does not affect the article; the gender of the underlying noun does.

Why is it que cuide and not que cuida?

This is the key subjunctive point.

que cuida = indicative
que cuide = subjunctive

In una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente, the ONG is not a specific one you already know; it’s an NGO of the type that takes care of the environment — you are describing the kind of organization you are looking for.

In Spanish, when you describe a non‑specific, hypothetical, or not-yet-identified thing after un/una (or algún/ningún, etc.), you usually use the subjunctive:

Quiero una casa que tenga jardín.
“I want a house that has a garden (some house or other; I don’t know which).”

If you were talking about a known, specific NGO, you would use the indicative:

Trabajo en una ONG que cuida el medio ambiente.
“I work at an NGO that (in fact) looks after the environment.”
→ You are talking about a particular, real NGO you belong to.

Here, quiero + una ONG (indefinite) → que cuide (subjunctive).

What tense and person is quiero, and why is it used?

quiero is:

Verb: querer (to want)
Person: 1st person singular (yo)
Tense: present indicative
Full form: yo quiero = “I want”

It’s used because the speaker is talking about a current desire or intention:

Quiero ser voluntaria…
“I want to be a volunteer…”

If you wanted to sound more tentative or polite, you could say:

Me gustaría ser voluntaria en una ONG…
“I would like to be a volunteer in an NGO…”

Why is it ser voluntaria and not estar voluntaria?

Spanish uses ser vs estar differently:

ser is used for more permanent roles, identities, professions:
- ser médico, ser profesor, ser voluntaria
estar is used more for temporary states, locations, moods:
- estar cansado, estar en casa, estar enfermo

Voluntaria is treated like a role/occupation, so the natural verb is ser:

Quiero ser voluntaria.
“I want to be a volunteer.”

Using estar voluntaria would sound incorrect in this context.

Is medio ambiente one word or two, and what does it literally mean?

It is two separate words: medio ambiente.

Literally:

medio = “environment / surroundings” (in this phrase)
ambiente = “environment / atmosphere”

The combination medio ambiente is the fixed expression for “the environment” in the ecological sense, just like in English:

cuidar el medio ambiente = “to look after / protect the environment”
problemas del medio ambiente = “environmental problems”

You virtually never combine them into one word in Spanish; keep them separate.

Why is it cuidar el medio ambiente and not cuidar del medio ambiente?

With cuidar, Spanish allows two structures, and the choice depends on the object:

cuidar + direct object (no preposition)
Very common, especially with things:
- cuidar el medio ambiente
- cuidar la salud
- cuidar el coche
cuidar de + noun
More common with people, animals, or “taking care of” in a more general sense:
- cuidar de los niños
- cuidar de mis abuelos

In practice, with el medio ambiente, the normal and most natural phrase in Spain is:

cuidar el medio ambiente (no de).

cuidar del medio ambiente is not wrong, but sounds more formal or less typical.

Could I say Quiero hacer voluntariado instead of Quiero ser voluntaria?

Yes, and it’s very natural.

ser voluntaria focuses on the role or identity (“being a volunteer”).
hacer voluntariado focuses on the activity (“doing volunteer work”).

Both are widely used in Spain:

Quiero ser voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.
Quiero hacer voluntariado en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.

They are practically interchangeable here, though hacer voluntariado avoids indicating the speaker’s gender.

Is the word order fixed, or could I move en una ONG?

Spanish word order is relatively flexible, but some options are more natural.

Original:

Quiero ser voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.

Possible and natural variations:

Quiero ser voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.
(Most natural.)
Quiero ser voluntaria en una ONG que cuide del medio ambiente.
(Slight style change with del.)

Less natural or marked:

Quiero en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente ser voluntaria.
→ Grammatically possible, but sounds awkward or poetic.

So, voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente as one block is the normal, idiomatic order.

How would this sentence change if a man were speaking?

You would only change the gendered word voluntaria to voluntario. The rest remains exactly the same.

Quiero ser voluntario en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.

Everything else (quiero, ser, en una ONG, que cuide el medio ambiente) is gender‑neutral.

Is medio ambiente capitalized in Spanish like “the Environment” sometimes is in English?

Normally no.

In Spanish, you usually write it in lowercase:

Quiero ayudar a proteger el medio ambiente.

You would only capitalize it in some special cases (titles, names of institutions, or stylistic/propaganda uses), but the everyday, correct form is lowercase: el medio ambiente.

How would I say this more formally or politely in Spanish from Spain?

You can soften the direct desire quiero by using me gustaría or other structures:

Me gustaría ser voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.
“I would like to be a volunteer in an NGO that protects the environment.”

Other slightly more formal variants:

Tengo interés en ser voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.
Me encantaría participar como voluntaria en una ONG que cuide el medio ambiente.

All of these would sound perfectly natural and polite in Spain.