I don't want to wake up your friends.

Question

How do you say "I don't want to wake up your friends."

No quiero despertar a tus amigos. I feel like it's missing a pronoun. Or.... maybe it's subjunctive.

your sentence is perfect, well done - 00494d19, Jul 22, 2011

Answer 1

The subjunctive would only come into play if there were a subject change between querer and despertar. If so, you would need to employ a subordinate clause.

I don't want you to wake up your friends. (now you need a que+subordinate clause and the subjunctive mood verb)

No quiero que tú despiertes a tus amigos.

Then this is correct? No quiero despertar a tus amigos. - Anna, Jul 22, 2011

looks correct to me, but I'm not a native. - 0074b507, Jul 22, 2011

Answer 2

You can say; No quiero despetar a tus amigos

= I don't want to wake-up your friends

I completely agree with the points made by Q about the use of subjunctive if the cluase had been different:I don't want you to wake up your friends , and Kiwi girl with reference to the use of a reflexive pronoun: that there is no need for one here since you are not carrying out the action on yourself (requires a reflexive pronoun) but you are expressing a desire not to do something to someone else in which case there is no need for reflexive pronouns.

I hope this helps

Answer 3

You might be used to despertarse in it's reflexive form and the necessary reflexive pronouns but remember that these are only used if the person doing the action is also receiving the action.

In your example, however, although you are doing, or in this case not wanting to be doing lol, the action you are not receiving the action of being woken up, that would be the friends. So you don't need the reflexive pronoun and what you have looks fine Hope that makes some sense!