Breakdown of Pretendo desarrollar una nueva habilidad este año.
una
a, an (feminine)
nuevo
new
el año
the year
este
this
Questions & Answers about Pretendo desarrollar una nueva habilidad este año.
Why does the sentence use pretendo if the English translation says "I intend"? Doesn't it mean "to pretend"?
Pretender is a classic false friend. It looks like the English word to pretend, but it actually means to intend, to expect, or to claim. If you want to say to pretend in Spanish, you would use the verb fingir.
Why is desarrollar left in the infinitive here instead of being conjugated?
We use the infinitive desarrollar because the person intending (I) is the same person doing the developing (I). When the subject doesn't change after a verb of intention or desire like pretender, you just use the infinitive. If you intended for someone else to do it, you would have to use que plus the subjunctive, such as Pretendo que desarrolles (I intend for you to develop).
Why is nueva placed before habilidad instead of after it?
Placing nuevo or nueva before a noun usually means "new to me" or "another one," which makes perfect sense for learning an additional skill. Placing it after the noun, like una habilidad nueva, puts more emphasis on the skill being objectively brand new to the world. Both work here, but putting it beforehand is very natural for a personal goal.
Why is it este año and not esto año?