"I wonder"
I was told there really is not translation for "I wonder" such as I wonder if he is coming. I wonder if it is going to rain. I wonder what he is doing.
8 Answers
I may be lacking in my knowledge of this, but as far as I know, preguntarse might work or show the general implications of wonder, but it is far more effective to use the verb tenses. For example, the future and conditional tenses can convey the uncertainty of what will happen. For example:
"¿Dónde estarán mis perros?"
In this example, the person asking the question isn't exactly looking for an answer, and it is in the future tense to suggest this.
Bichoraro has offered one way to say it. One phrase I have heard my Mexican friends say is "me pregunto" (almost like "I ask myself").
"Me pregunto dónde estará..."
Preguntarse definately means to wonder. I wonder who told you that there was no wonder.
I wonder if it is going to rain.
Here in Guatemala we are presently experiencing the effects of tropical storm Agatha. We have had almost non-stop rainfall for the past 24 hours - and the heaviest rains for our area are supposed to come tomorrow. So, my question is a little different:
I wonder when the rain will stop!
¡Me pregunto cuando va a terminar de llover!
I have always heard and said "me pregunto" as a common legitimate formula. Even my dictionary uses "preguntarse" as the translation for "to wonder". Sounds to me as if someone failed to check what "wonder" means in English.
The Cambridge Dictionary gives as the first meaning of "wonder" as a verb:
" to ask yourself questions" = "preguntarse" QED
You get to Cambridge before Oxford in an alphabetical list.
I believe as well as the above, Spanish speakers often convey wonder or a sense of uncertainty in their choice of verb tense.
For example using the future indicative tense in the form of a question.
For example, to say,
"I wonder where my books are,"
you could say,
"¿Dónde estarán los libros?"
The same sentence might also be translated as "Where can my books be?" but the speaker isn't necessarily looking for an answer.
Here's another example:
¿Quién irá a Nueva Zelanda?
I wonder who's going to New Zealand. or Who could be going to New Zealand?
Those two answers above are the ways i would say it.
I live in Venezuela and was told preguntarse was an option but never used. Maybe people here don't wonder about things. Anyway thanks for the quick responses.
