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You already know that verbs expressing emotions, desires, and intentions trigger the subjunctive when two different people are involved (e.g., *Quiero que vayas* — I want you to go).

However, when you are talking about your own desires or feelings regarding your own actions—meaning the subject does not change—you drop the *que* and use the **infinitive** (the unconjugated dictionary form of the verb).

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Notice how in these sentences, the person intending or yearning is the exact same person performing the action. Because there is no subject change, the infinitive is required.

### Verbs with Prepositions

When setting goals or trying to improve yourself, you will often use verbs of emotion and effort. Keep in mind that some of these verbs require specific prepositions before the infinitive.

For example, *arrepentirse* (to regret) is always followed by *de*, and *esforzarse* (to strive) is always followed by *por*.

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Whether you are talking about developing your willpower (*la voluntad*), breaking a bad habit (*el vicio*), or sticking to a resolution (*el propósito*), the rule remains the same: one subject means one conjugated verb followed by an infinitive.

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Infinitives with emotion and volition

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

expression

interjection

noun

numeral

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Subject pronouns and the verb to be (yo soy)

Noun gender and definite articles (el, la)

Basic sentences and negation (no)

Indefinite articles (un, una)

Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)

Plural pronouns and the verb to be (somos, son)

Making nouns plural (-s, -es)

Plural articles (los, las, unos, unas)

Noun gender exceptions

Adjective agreement

Invariable adjectives

State and location (estar)

Ser vs. estar

There is / there are (hay)

Hay vs. estar

To have (tener)

Possession (de)

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su)

Regular -ar verbs

Yes/No questions

What and who (qué, quién)

Regular -er verbs

Regular -ir verbs

Asking where (dónde, adónde)

How, when, and why (cómo, cuándo, por qué)

How much and how many (cuánto)

Days of the week

Going to a place (ir a)

Preposition contractions (al, del)

In and by (en)

With me and with you (conmigo, contigo)

Prepositional pronouns (mí, ti)

Conjunctions (y, o, pero)

Giving reasons (porque)

Stem-changing verbs (e to ie)

Stem-changing verbs (o to ue)

Stem-changing verbs (e to i)

Irregular yo forms (hago, salgo)

To know (saber vs. conocer)

Weather expressions (hace, está)

Desires and plans (querer)

Ability and requests (poder)

Obligations (tener que)

Expressing likes (me gusta)

Plural likes (me gustan)

Verbs like gustar (encantar, doler)

Very vs. a lot (muy, mucho)

Numbers 0 to 15 (cero, uno, dos…)

Numbers 16 to 31 (dieciséis, veinte…)

Numbers 30 to 1000 (treinta, cien, mil)

Months of the year (enero, febrero, marzo)

Seasons and dates (el dos de mayo)

Telling time (es la..., son las...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero, segundo, tercero)

Reflexive pronouns and verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

The present continuous (estar + -ando, -iendo)

Near demonstrative adjectives (este, esta, estos, estas)

Medium demonstrative adjectives (ese, esa, esos, esas)

Comparatives of inequality (más / menos ... que)

Comparatives of equality (tan ... como)

Indefinite and negative pronouns (algo, nada, alguien, nadie)

Affirmative commands

Far demonstratives (aquel, aquella)

Possessive pronouns (el mío, el tuyo)

Shortened indefinite adjectives (algún, ningún)

Adverbs of quantity (demasiado, bastante)

Adverbs of frequency (a menudo, a veces)

Adverb formation (-mente)

Exclamations (¡Qué...!)

Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor)

Relative superlatives (el más... de)

Adjective intensification (-ísimo)

Indirect object pronouns

Pronoun placement with infinitives

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

The 'se lo' rule (se lo, se la)

Impersonal statements (se)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Personal obligation (deber)

Starting actions (empezar a)

Finishing and quitting actions (terminar de, dejar de)

Repeating actions (volver a)

Continuing actions (seguir + gerundio)

Question	Answer
to intend	pretender
to develop	desarrollar
the skill / the ability	la habilidad
I intend to develop a new skill this year.	Pretendo desarrollar una nueva habilidad este año.
the resolution / the purpose	el propósito
to focus on	enfocarse en
I have the resolution to focus on work.	Tengo el propósito de enfocarme en el trabajo.
to yearn / to long for	anhelar
He yearns to develop his skills, so he studies a lot.	Él anhela desarrollar sus habilidades, así que estudia mucho.
to regret (one's own actions)	arrepentirse de
the bad habit / the vice	el vicio
I regret having this bad habit.	Me arrepiento de tener este vicio.
to strive to	esforzarse por
the willpower	la voluntad
She strives to have more willpower.	Ella se esfuerza por tener más voluntad.
I always intend to focus on my family.	Siempre pretendo enfocarme en mi familia.
We yearn to abandon that bad habit.	Anhelamos abandonar ese vicio.
Do not abandon your resolution!	¡No abandones tu propósito!
I regret not having the skill, therefore I practice.	Me arrepiento de no tener la habilidad, por lo tanto practico.
I strive to develop a new project.	Me esfuerzo por desarrollar un nuevo proyecto.
Since I want to improve, I intend to have more willpower.	Como quiero mejorar, pretendo tener más voluntad.
to feel like (doing something)	tener ganas de
I feel like traveling to the beach.	Tengo ganas de viajar a la playa.
I don't feel like working today.	No tengo ganas de trabajar hoy.