Breakdown of Quiero que las prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio.
Questions & Answers about Quiero que las prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio.
Because this is a subjunctive context.
- Quiero que… (I want that…) expresses a wish/desire about something that isn’t a fact yet.
- In Spanish, verbs in the clause after que often go in the present subjunctive when it follows a verb of desire, emotion, doubt, etc.
So:
- son = indicative (used for facts)
- sean = present subjunctive of ser (used for wishes/possibilities)
Quiero que las prácticas sean en una ONG…
= I want the placement to be at an NGO… (not a fact yet, but a wish).
Because querer que + different subject is one of the classic triggers of the subjunctive.
Structure here:
- Main clause: Yo quiero (I want)
- Subordinate clause: que las prácticas sean en una ONG… (that the placement be at an NGO…)
The subject changes:
- yo (I) = subject of quiero
- las prácticas = subject of sean
When there is:
- a verb of want / desire / preference (like querer)
- and the subordinate clause has a different subject
→ Spanish normally uses subjunctive in the subordinate clause:
- Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come.)
- Queremos que todo salga bien. (We want everything to turn out well.)
Because this is talking about the type / identity / location of the placement in a permanent or defining sense, not a temporary state.
Rough guidelines:
- ser: identity, type, classification, inherent characteristics.
- estar: temporary state, condition, current location of people/things.
Here, las prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio means:
- The placement is “of the type that takes place in” a local NGO.
- It’s about what kind of placement it is, not how it feels right now.
Compare:
- Quiero que las prácticas sean en una ONG.
→ I want the placement to be at / in an NGO (that’s the placement’s basic setup). - Quiero que las prácticas estén en una ONG.
→ Sounds odd; you’d be treating prácticas like something physically located there as a temporary state, which isn’t the usual concept here.
So ser fits the idea of what the internship is, structurally.
In Spain, las prácticas very often means work placement / internship / training period, especially in a study or training context.
Key points:
- It’s usually plural: las prácticas.
- It’s a fixed expression in education/work:
- Hacer prácticas = to do an internship / work placement.
- Estoy de prácticas = I’m doing an internship / I’m on placement.
So las prácticas here is “the (work) placement / internship”, probably one the speaker is already expected to do as part of a course or program.
Spanish normally uses a definite article where English often doesn’t.
- las prácticas here refers to a specific placement that both speaker and listener have in mind (e.g., the internship for this course).
- English can say: I want the placement to be… or even just I want the placement at….
- In Spanish, omitting the article (prácticas sean…) would sound ungrammatical in this context.
You could also hear:
- Quiero que mis prácticas sean en una ONG…
→ mis prácticas = my placement / my internship, even though it’s one overall period, Spanish keeps the plural.
Yes, and the change is small but real:
- las prácticas
→ The internship/placement that is expected / known from context, maybe part of a course. - mis prácticas
→ The same internship, but now you’re explicitly marking it as my placement. Slightly more personal.
Both are very natural. Context decides which sounds better:
- In a general discussion about how placements are organized, las prácticas fits well.
- When talking about your own specific case, mis prácticas might sound more personal:
Quiero que mis prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio.
ONG stands for Organización No Gubernamental, which is feminine (la organización).
- The acronym ONG keeps the gender of organización:
- una ONG, esta ONG, la ONG.
So:
- una ONG del barrio = a local NGO (an NGO from the neighbourhood).
It’s usually pronounced by spelling out the letters in Spanish:
- ONG → o – ene – ge
/o eˈne xe/ in IPA-ish terms.
So aloud, the sentence would sound like:
Quiero que las prácticas sean en una o-ene-ge del barrio.
del barrio literally means of the neighbourhood, but the nuance is:
- A local NGO, from around here, usually with a sense of closeness or community.
- It often implies our neighbourhood without saying mi.
Alternatives:
- en una ONG
→ any NGO, no location implied. - en una ONG del barrio
→ a nearby, local NGO. - en una ONG de mi barrio
→ more explicitly in my neighbourhood.
So del barrio adds a sense of local / community-based.
You can, but the meaning shifts a bit:
- una ONG del barrio
→ An NGO from the neighbourhood (its base/identity is local). - una ONG en el barrio
→ An NGO that is located in the neighbourhood (more neutral, just location).
Often in everyday speech the difference is small, and both could refer to a local NGO. But:
- del barrio emphasizes belonging to the neighbourhood community.
- en el barrio emphasizes being situated in the neighbourhood.
That word order is possible, but it sounds less natural and may sound slightly marked or emphatic.
Most natural:
- Quiero que las prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio.
If you say:
- Quiero que sean las prácticas en una ONG del barrio.
it could sound like you are:
- Emphasizing sean (the fact of being there) or
- Contrasting with another idea in context (e.g. …y no en una empresa grande).
In normal, neutral speech, keep:
- que las prácticas sean…
Yes, and both are very common. The nuance:
Quiero que las prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio.
- Focus on how the placement is arranged.
- More like: I want the placement to be set up at a local NGO.
Quiero hacer las prácticas en una ONG del barrio.
- Hacer las prácticas = do my internship.
- Focus on what you personally want to do.
- More like: I want to do my internship at a local NGO.
In many contexts, they’re interchangeable, but:
- The first highlights the arrangement / decision about where the internship ends up being.
- The second highlights your own action of doing it there.
No. That would be incorrect Spanish.
You need que to introduce the subordinate clause:
- ✅ Quiero que las prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio.
- ❌ Quiero las prácticas sean en una ONG del barrio.
Pattern:
- Querer + que + subjunctive:
- Quiero que vengas.
- Quiero que todo salga bien.
- Queremos que él participe.
Common softer or more polite options:
Me gustaría que las prácticas fueran en una ONG del barrio.
→ I would like the placement to be at a local NGO.
(gustaría- fueran = conditional + imperfect subjunctive)
Me encantaría que las prácticas fueran en una ONG del barrio.
→ I’d love the placement to be at a local NGO.Preferiría que las prácticas fueran en una ONG del barrio.
→ I would prefer the placement to be at a local NGO.
In everyday speech in Spain, Quiero que… is not rude, but these softer forms feel more tentative / polite or hypothetical.