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"I wonder" is a form of "wonder", a transitive verb which is often translated as "preguntarse". "I wanted to know" is a phrase which is often translated as "quería saber". Learn more about the difference between "I wanted to know" and "I wonder" below.
I wanted to know(
ay
wan
-
dihd
tu
no
)A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).
1. (general)
a. quería saber
I wanted to know why my business partner had lied to me.Quería saber por qué mi socio me había mentido.
b. quería conocer
I wanted to know every detail of my son's trip to Australia.Quería conocer todos los detalles del viaje de mi hijo a Australia.
wonder(
wuhn
-
duhr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. preguntarse
I was wondering if you could help me with the project.Me preguntaba si podrías ayudarme con el proyecto.
I wonder if Jeb knows that I'm going to be his boss soon.Me pregunto si Jeb sabe que voy a ser su jefe pronto.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. maravillarse
The shepherds wondered at the angel's message.Los pastores se maravillaron al oír el mensaje del ángel.
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
3. (miracle)
a. la maravilla (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
It's a wonder that you weren't hurt in that crash.Es una maravilla que no te hayas herido en el choque.
4. (amazement)
a. el asombro (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
When we went to the circus, my son gazed on in wonder.Cuando fuimos al circo, mi hijo miraba todo con asombro.
