Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Creo que el voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia. - I think volunteering at an NGO is a good experience.

Correct:
- Creo que el voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia.
Incorrect:
- ✗ Creo el voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia.

Here que works like “that” in English (“I think that …”), but while English can drop “that”, Spanish normally cannot drop que in this structure.

Why is it el voluntariado and not just voluntariado without el?

Spanish uses the definite article el more often than English uses “the”, especially with abstract or general nouns.

El voluntariado here means “volunteering” as a general concept.
Saying just voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia sounds incomplete and ungrammatical.

You could, however, rephrase with a verb:

Hacer voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia.
(“Doing volunteering in an NGO is a good experience.”)

But once you use the noun on its own, you normally add el.

What exactly does el voluntariado mean? Is it the same as “being a volunteer”?

El voluntariado is a noun meaning:

The activity or practice of volunteering (as a concept).
Sometimes, the volunteer sector as a whole.

It’s close to English “volunteering” used as a noun.

Other ways to express similar ideas:

Ser voluntario en una ONG – “to be a volunteer in an NGO”
Trabajar como voluntario en una ONG – “to work as a volunteer in an NGO”
Hacer voluntariado en una ONG – “to do volunteering in an NGO”

In your sentence, el voluntariado focuses on the activity itself, not on a particular person.

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

Both can be correct, but they mean slightly different things:

Voluntariado en una ONG
Emphasises the place or context where you volunteer.
→ “volunteering in an NGO”
Voluntariado para una ONG
Emphasises that you do it for the benefit of the NGO.
→ “volunteering for an NGO”

In many contexts they are interchangeable, but en is very common when describing the context (like “en un hospital”, “en una escuela”, etc.).

What does ONG mean, and why is it una ONG and not un ONG?

ONG stands for Organización No Gubernamental (“Non-Governmental Organization”).

The key word organización is feminine in Spanish: la organización.
The acronym ONG inherits that feminine gender, so we say:
- una ONG
- la ONG
- esta ONG

Even though we pronounce each letter separately (o-ene-ge), the gender is based on the full phrase it represents, not on the sound of the letters.

How do you pronounce ONG in Spanish?

In Spain, ONG is normally pronounced by spelling out the letters:

O – ene – ge
/o eˈne xe/

The g in ge sounds like the j in jamón (a harsh “kh” sound), not like the hard English “g” in “go”.

Why is it es una buena experiencia and not está una buena experiencia?

Spanish uses:

ser (es) for inherent or general characteristics and definitions.
estar for temporary states or locations.

Here we are saying that, in general, volunteering in an NGO is a good experience (a general quality), so we use ser:

…es una buena experiencia.

Estar would be wrong here:

✗ …está una buena experiencia. (ungrammatical)

Why is it una buena experiencia and not una experiencia buena? Is there a difference?

Both are grammatically correct:

una buena experiencia
una experiencia buena

But there is a nuance:

buena experiencia (adjective before the noun)
Sounds more natural and idiomatic here; it feels a bit more “evaluative” or general.
experiencia buena (adjective after the noun)
Sounds more neutral or sometimes slightly more contrastive/emphatic:
e.g. No fue una experiencia cualquiera; fue una experiencia buena.

In everyday speech, una buena experiencia is by far the more common choice.

Why is it es and not sea after Creo que?

The verb after creo que is normally in the indicative when the statement is affirmative:

Creo que el voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia.

This is because you are presenting it as something you believe to be true.

You use the subjunctive sea after no creo que:

No creo que el voluntariado en una ONG sea una buena experiencia.
“I don’t think volunteering in an NGO is a good experience.”

So:

Creo que… → usually indicative (es).
No creo que… → usually subjunctive (sea).

Can I say Pienso que el voluntariado… instead of Creo que el voluntariado…? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

Pienso que el voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia.

In everyday use:

Creo que and Pienso que are often interchangeable and both mean “I think that…”
Creo que can sometimes sound slightly more like “I believe that…”
Pienso que can sometimes sound slightly more reflective (“I’m of the opinion that…”).

In this sentence, the difference is minimal; both are very natural.

Do I need to say yo creo que, or is creo que enough?

You do not need yo here. Spanish normally drops subject pronouns when the verb form already shows the subject:

Creo que el voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia. ✅
Yo creo que el voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia. ✅

You add yo for emphasis or contrast:

Yo creo que es una buena experiencia, pero él no.
“I think it’s a good experience, but he doesn’t.”

How do you make ONG plural? Is it las ONG or las ONGs?

Both forms exist, but in Spain you will very often see:

las ONG (acronym invariable in the plural)

You may also see:

las ONGs

Many style guides in Spanish prefer keeping acronyms like ONG invariable in the plural (so just change the article), especially in more formal writing:

una ONG → varias ONG
la ONG → las ONG

Could I replace el voluntariado en una ONG with a verb phrase like “volunteer in an NGO”? How would that look?

Yes. Common alternatives include:

Creo que hacer voluntariado en una ONG es una buena experiencia.
Creo que ser voluntario en una ONG es una buena experiencia.
Creo que trabajar como voluntario en una ONG es una buena experiencia.

All keep the same basic meaning, but:

hacer voluntariado focuses on the activity.
ser voluntario focuses on the role/identity.
trabajar como voluntario highlights the work aspect.