Quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca con mis amigos.

I want to study again at the library with my friends.

Breakdown of Quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca con mis amigos.

• el amigo: the friend
• yo: I
• querer: to want
• en: at

Questions & Answers about Quiero volver a estudiar en la biblioteca con mis amigos.

Why is it volver a estudiar and not just volver estudiar?

In Spanish, when volver means “to do something again / to go back to doing something”, it is normally followed by the preposition a + infinitive:

• volver a estudiar – to study again / to go back to studying
• volver a trabajar – to work again / to go back to working

Without a (volver estudiar), it sounds incorrect to native speakers. The structure is volver + a + infinitive.

What exactly does volver a + infinitive mean here? Is it “to return” or “to … again”?

It can express both ideas, depending on context:

• Repetition of an activity:
  
  • Quiero volver a estudiar = I want to study again / I want to start studying again.
• Return to a previous situation or place plus the activity:
  
  • In this sentence, with en la biblioteca, it also suggests going back to the habit of studying in the library, not necessarily physically “going back” at that moment.

So here it’s best understood as: “I want to go back to studying in the library with my friends” or “I want to study in the library with my friends again.”

Why is estudiar in the infinitive after quiero?