Con el tiempo, quiero llegar a un nivel de español más alto.

Con el tiempo is a fixed expression that usually means over time, in time, or as time goes by.

Even though con often means with, here you should understand the whole phrase as one expression, not word by word.

Examples:

• Con el tiempo, todo mejora. = Over time, everything improves.
• Con el tiempo, lo entenderás. = In time / eventually, you’ll understand it.

So in this sentence, Con el tiempo gives the idea of gradual progress.

After querer when you want to say you want to do something, Spanish normally uses an infinitive:

• Quiero llegar
• Quiero aprender
• Quiero mejorar

So quiero llegar literally means I want to reach / get to.

This is the same basic pattern as in English:

• I want to eat
• I want to learn
• I want to improve

Here, llegar a means to reach, to get to, or to attain a level.

It is not about physically arriving somewhere. It is being used more figuratively:

• llegar a un nivel = to reach a level
• llegar a ser profesor = to become a teacher
• llegar a entenderlo = to come to understand it

So in this sentence, quiero llegar a un nivel... means I want to reach a ... level.

Because llegar usually goes with a when it means to arrive at or to reach something.

Examples:

• Llegué a Madrid. = I arrived in Madrid.
• Quiero llegar a ese punto. = I want to reach that point.
• Quiero llegar a un nivel más alto. = I want to reach a higher level.

So the a is required by the verb llegar in this structure.

Because de español tells you what kind of level it is: a level of Spanish.

In Spanish, this noun + de + noun structure is very common:

• un curso de español = a Spanish course
• un profesor de inglés = an English teacher
• un nivel de español = a level of Spanish

If you said un nivel español, it would sound unnatural here.

In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• un nivel más alto = a higher level
• una casa grande = a big house
• un libro interesante = an interesting book

This is the normal word order. English often puts adjectives before the noun, but Spanish usually puts them after.

Because the sentence is expressing comparison: the speaker wants to reach a higher level, not just a high level.

• alto = high
• más alto = higher

So:

• un nivel alto = a high level
• un nivel más alto = a higher level

The second one suggests improvement from the current level.

Sometimes learners want to say un nivel mejor, but un nivel más alto is more natural here when talking about language proficiency levels.

Why? Because levels are usually imagined as going up:

• nivel bajo
• nivel medio
• nivel alto
• nivel más alto

Mejor means better, which can work in some contexts, but más alto fits the idea of moving up through levels more naturally.

A very natural alternative would be:

• Quiero alcanzar un nivel de español más alto.
• Quiero mejorar mi nivel de español.

In Spanish, names of languages are normally not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

So:

• Hablo español.
• Estudio inglés.
• El francés es difícil.

This is different from English, where Spanish, English, and French are capitalized.

Yes, in Spain you may hear both español and castellano.

• español = Spanish
• castellano = Castilian / Spanish

In many contexts they are interchangeable. However:

• español is very common and neutral
• castellano may be used especially in Spain when distinguishing it from other languages spoken in Spain, such as Catalan, Galician, or Basque

So un nivel de castellano más alto is possible, but un nivel de español más alto is completely normal.

Yes, it sounds natural and correct.

It is a clear, standard sentence that a learner could realistically say. In Spain, people would understand it immediately.

Some equally natural alternatives are:

• Con el tiempo, quiero mejorar mi nivel de español.
• Quiero alcanzar un nivel más alto de español.
• Con el tiempo, me gustaría tener un nivel de español más alto.

But the original sentence is already good Spanish.

Quiero is the first person singular present tense of querer:

• yo quiero = I want

It is used because the speaker is expressing a current desire or goal:

• Right now, I want to reach a higher level of Spanish over time.

This is very common in Spanish. The present tense often expresses present wishes, intentions, or plans.

A few small points may help:

• quiero: the quie- sounds roughly like kyeh-
• llegar: in Spain, ll is usually pronounced like the y in yes
• nivel: stress is on the last syllable, ni-VEL
• español: the ñ sounds like ny in canyon
• más alto: when speaking naturally, the words flow together smoothly

A rough pronunciation guide could be: kon el tee-EM-po, KYE-ro yeh-GAR a oon nee-VEL de es-pan-YOL mas AL-to

That said, exact pronunciation depends a bit on regional accent.

Yes. Spanish allows some flexibility.

These are all possible:

• Con el tiempo, quiero llegar a un nivel de español más alto.
• Quiero, con el tiempo, llegar a un nivel de español más alto.
• Quiero llegar a un nivel de español más alto con el tiempo.

The first version is the most natural and clear, because it sets the time frame right at the beginning.