to
vs
wish

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"To" is a preposition which is often translated as "a", and "wish" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "desear". Learn more about the difference between "to" and "wish" below.

to(

)

A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between a noun and another word (e.g., He ran through the door.).

preposition

1. (used to indicate direction)

a. a

I'm going to your house.Voy a tu casa.

b. hacia

She walked to the woods.Caminó hacia el bosque.

2. (as far as)

a. hasta

I would run to your house right now just to see you!¡Correría hasta tu casa ahora mismo solo para verte!

3. (in order to)

a. a

I just came to say hello.Solo vine a saludar.

4. (used to indicate belonging)

a. de

All of those books belonged to my grandfather.Todos estos libros eran de mi abuelo.

5. (used to tell the time)

a. menos

It is a quarter to six.Son las seis menos cuarto.

6. (used to indicate proportion or range)

a. por

The birth ratio is 107 boys to 100 girls.La proporción de nacimientos es de 107 niños por 100 niñas.

7. (in comparisons)

a. a

Variable A is greater or equal to variable B.La variable A es mayor o igual a la variable B.

8. (resulting in)

a. para

To my surprise, he did not recognize me.Para mi sorpresa, él no me reconoció.

9. (in toasts)

a. por

Here's to the birthday girl! Cheers!¡Por la cumpleañera! ¡Salud!

10. (used to indicate position)

a. a

Turn to the left to exit.Gira a la izquierda para salir.

11. (infinitive particle)

This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.

no direct translation

I learned to drive when I was 17.Aprendí a manejar a los 17 años.

We need to work faster.Tenemos que trabajar más rápido.

12. (used in place of a verb)

This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.

no direct translation

I didn't want to tell you but I felt I had to.No quería decírtelo pero me vi obligada a hacerlo.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.Es mi fiesta y lloraré si quiero.

wish(

wihsh

)

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).

transitive verb

1. (to desire)

a. desear

I wish you a very merry Christmas.Te deseo una muy feliz Navidad.

The family wishes to be notified of any change in the patient's condition.La familia desea que se les notifique de cualquier cambio en la condición del paciente.

This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.

no direct translation

I wish I could fly.Ojalá pudiera volar.

I wish you'd leave me alone.¿Por qué no me dejas en paz?

An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).

intransitive verb

2. (to make a wish)

a. desear

It may be naive, but I'll never stop wishing for peace on Earth.Puede que sea ingenuo, pero jamás dejaré de desear paz en la tierra.

b. pedir un deseo

Do you remember that song about wishing upon a star?¿Te recuerdas de esa canción sobre pedirle un deseo a una estrella?

A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).

noun

3. (desire)

a. el deseo

(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).

(M)

The genie told him that he could not wish for more wishes.El genio le dijo que no podía pedir más deseos.

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