Breakdown of Siempre pretendo enfocarme en mi familia.
la familia
the family
mi
my
siempre
always
pretender
to intend
enfocarse en
to focus on
Questions & Answers about Siempre pretendo enfocarme en mi familia.
Wait, doesn't pretendo mean "I pretend"?
No, this is a classic false friend! In Spanish, pretender means "to intend", "to expect", or "to aim". If you want to say "to pretend" (as in to fake or make-believe), you should use the verb fingir.
Why do we use the infinitive enfocarme here instead of que and the subjunctive?
Because the person intending and the person focusing are exactly the same (you). With verbs of intention or desire (like pretender or querer), you use the infinitive when the subject doesn't change. If you intended for someone else to focus, you would use que plus the subjunctive, like in pretendo que te enfoques.
Could I put the pronoun me somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes! Because enfocar is an infinitive following the conjugated verb pretendo, you have two choices. You can attach me to the end of the infinitive (pretendo enfocarme) or place it right before the conjugated verb (me pretendo enfocar). Both mean the exact same thing.
Why do we use the preposition en in this sentence?
In Spanish, the reflexive verb enfocarse (to focus oneself) is typically followed by the preposition en to express what you are focusing on. It happens to translate perfectly to the English "focus on", but it is always best to learn it as a set phrase: enfocarse en.
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