Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca mañana.

Breakdown of Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca mañana.

querer
to want
mi
my
ir
to go
a
to
y
and
la biblioteca
the library
mañana
tomorrow
la hermana
the sister
Ana
Ana

Questions & Answers about Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca mañana.

Why is quieren plural?

Because the subject is Ana y mi hermana — two people joined by y (and). In Spanish, that makes the subject plural, so the verb must also be plural.

  • Ana quiere = Ana wants
  • Mi hermana quiere = My sister wants
  • Ana y mi hermana quieren = Ana and my sister want
Why is the verb quieren and not queren?

Because querer is a stem-changing verb. In the present tense, the e in the stem changes to ie in most forms.

So:

  • yo quiero
  • tú quieres
  • él/ella quiere
  • nosotros queremos
  • vosotros queréis
  • ellos/ellas quieren

In this sentence, the subject is plural third person, so you use quieren.

Why do we use ir after quieren?

Because after querer (to want), Spanish normally uses an infinitive when saying what someone wants to do.

So the pattern is:

querer + infinitive

Examples:

  • Quiero comer = I want to eat
  • Queremos salir = We want to go out
  • Ana y mi hermana quieren ir = Ana and my sister want to go

You do not conjugate the second verb here, so it stays as ir, not van.

Why isn’t it quieren van instead of quieren ir?

Because after a conjugated verb like quieren, the next verb is usually left in the infinitive.

  • Correct: quieren ir
  • Incorrect: quieren van

This is similar to English:

  • They want to go not
  • They want they go
Why is it a la biblioteca?

Because ir usually takes a when you say where someone is going:

  • ir a casa
  • ir al supermercado
  • ir a la biblioteca

Here, biblioteca is a feminine noun, so it uses la:

  • la biblioteca

That gives:

  • a + la biblioteca = a la biblioteca
Why doesn’t a la contract into one word?

In Spanish, only these two combinations contract:

  • a + el = al
  • de + el = del

There is no contraction with la, so:

  • a la biblioteca stays a la biblioteca

Compare:

  • Voy al parque
  • Voy a la biblioteca
Why is it mi hermana and not la mi hermana?

In standard modern Spanish, possessive adjectives like mi, tu, su, nuestro, etc. normally replace the article.

So you say:

  • mi hermana not
  • la mi hermana

This is different from English only in structure, not meaning. Mi hermana simply means my sister.

Why is mi the same for masculine and feminine nouns?

Because mi does not change for gender. It only changes for number:

  • mi hermano
  • mi hermana
  • mis hermanos
  • mis hermanas

So mi works with both hermano and hermana.

Why is mañana at the end of the sentence?

Because Spanish often puts time expressions like mañana, hoy, or esta tarde at the end, but the position is flexible.

All of these are possible:

  • Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca mañana.
  • Mañana, Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca.
  • Ana y mi hermana mañana quieren ir a la biblioteca.

The version with mañana at the end sounds very natural.

Does this sentence mean they are going tomorrow, or that they simply want to go tomorrow?

It means they want to go tomorrow. The main verb is quieren (want), so the sentence expresses desire or intention, not a definite future action by itself.

If you wanted to say they are definitely going tomorrow, you might say:

  • Ana y mi hermana van a la biblioteca mañana.

If you wanted to emphasize a future plan, you could also say:

  • Ana y mi hermana van a ir a la biblioteca mañana.
Why is there no article before Ana?

Because personal names normally do not take an article in standard Spanish.

So:

  • Ana not usually
  • la Ana

In some regional or informal varieties, people may sometimes use an article with names, but for standard learning purposes, just use Ana without one.

Could the subject be omitted in Spanish?

Yes, very often Spanish omits subject pronouns like ellos or ellas because the verb ending already gives information.

For example:

  • Quieren ir a la biblioteca mañana.

This could mean They want to go to the library tomorrow, depending on context.

But in your sentence, Ana y mi hermana is included because the speaker wants to specify exactly who they are.

Why is it y and not e?

Spanish normally uses y for and.

It changes to e only before words that begin with an i sound:

  • padre e hijo
  • España e Italia

But here the next word is mi, which begins with an m sound, so it stays:

  • Ana y mi hermana
Is biblioteca always feminine?

Yes, biblioteca is a feminine noun, so it takes feminine articles and adjectives:

  • la biblioteca
  • una biblioteca
  • la biblioteca grande

That is why the sentence has a la biblioteca.

Can Spanish word order change in this sentence?

Yes, Spanish word order is more flexible than English, although some orders sound more natural than others.

Natural versions include:

  • Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca mañana.
  • Mañana Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca.
  • A la biblioteca quieren ir Ana y mi hermana mañana. — more marked or emphatic

The original sentence is the most neutral and natural for everyday use.

How would this sentence sound with van a instead of quieren ir?

It would change the meaning.

  • quieren ir = they want to go
  • van a ir = they are going to go

So:

  • Ana y mi hermana quieren ir a la biblioteca mañana.
    = They want to go tomorrow.

  • Ana y mi hermana van a ir a la biblioteca mañana.
    = They are going to go tomorrow.

That is an important difference: desire/intention vs planned future.

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