Wanting to do something
I want to fix the lamp tomorrow.
Left column: the order of the concepts, as chips — the slots you fill (who, action, thing, when) and the fixed words the language adds (a modal, a negator, a question marker). Click a slot, here or in the bar above, to choose what goes in it. Right column: the sentence those concepts make, the other orders the language allows, and the other ways to say it — each with what it changes. The rows are the languages switched on at the top of the page.
Try:
| Language | The order of the concepts | The sentence, other orders, other ways to say it |
|---|---|---|
| EnglishEnglish | want to modal Strict SVO. The modal is a plain verb that only adds -s after he/she (wants); 'to' links it to the verb. Time goes last by default, first for emphasis. | I want to fix the lamp tomorrow. or: Tomorrow I want to fix the lamp. — the time is the point: 'Tomorrow, I want to…' Other ways to say it I wanna fix the lamp tomorrow. casual spoken and casual: 'want to' said as one word. Never written in anything formal — and only after I, you, we, they (not 'he wanna'). I feel like fixing the lamp tomorrow. casual a mood rather than a plan: 'I feel like cooking' is what you want right now, and may pass. |
| FrançaisFrench | veux modal SVO like English, but the modal conjugates for the person (veux / voulez / veut / veulent) and the verb after it stays in the infinitive. The object needs its article, and the article needs the noun's gender. | demain Après-demain = the day after tomorrow. Je veux réparer la lampe demain. or: Demain je veux réparer la lampe. — the time is the point: 'Demain, je veux…' Other ways to say it J’ai envie de réparer la lampe demain. casual “I have desire of” j’ai envie de — a craving of the moment, not a decision: softer and more casual than je veux, which can sound like a demand. |
| EspañolSpanish | quiero modal Pro-drop: quiero already says 'I', so the pronoun is left out unless it is stressed. usted for the polite 'you' is often kept, for clarity, since quiere is also 'he wants'. The verb after the modal is the infinitive. | mañana Also 'morning' (la mañana): mañana por la mañana = tomorrow morning. Pasado mañana = the day after tomorrow. Quiero arreglar la lámpara mañana. or: Mañana quiero arreglar la lámpara. — the time is the point: 'Mañana quiero…' Other ways to say it Tengo ganas de arreglar la lámpara mañana. casual “I have desires of” tengo ganas de — a craving of the moment rather than a decision: warmer and more casual than quiero. |
Hover a word to see which concept it fills. The verb is always in its dictionary form: every pattern here is built on a modal, which carries the person and the tense, so any verb stays grammatical in every language. Where the modal is an ending (Korean, Japanese, Hindi's 'can'), the stem is computed. What this cannot show is agreement beyond the modal — adjectives, plural objects — which the grammar chapters cover.
For the same idea said at three levels of politeness, see Compare.