me pregunto
/me pɾeɡunto/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I wonder" is expressed as me pregunto.
me pregunto is a phrase used to express a desire to know something or to speculate about a fact.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally "I ask myself", where me is the reflexive pronoun "myself" and pregunto is the first-person singular of preguntar (to ask).
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing "I wonder if" followed by a clause, use the conjunction si. When me pregunto is followed by an interrogative word such as what, who, when, how or why, those words must take an accent mark (qué, quién, cuándo, cómo, por qué) to indicate they are part of an indirect question.
How do you pronounce it?
/me pɾeɡunto/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using me pregunto to mean "I am curious about" in a way that requires a preposition. In Spanish, me pregunto is typically followed directly by a subordinate clause starting with a question word or si.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the concept of 'wonder' splits into two different directions. Me pregunto is used for curiosity or speculation, but to express 'wonder' as in amazement or awe, Spanish speakers use the verb maravillarse.
- The reflexive pronoun me in me pregunto is a linguistic relative of the English word 'me'. Both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root meaning the self.
- If a speaker wants to express a stronger sense of 'I wonder' as in 'I am curious', they might use the phrase me da curiosidad. Unlike me pregunto, this phrasing treats curiosity as something that 'gives' itself to the person.
Examples in context
- Me pregunto por qué.I wonder why.This sentence is useful for expressing wonder about a reason using me pregunto.Tatoeba #5147482 by Kary, translation #393490 by blay_paul
- Me pregunto qué pasará.I wonder what's going to happen.This sentence is useful for speculating about future events using me pregunto.Tatoeba #6711409 by arh, translation #6710884 by CK
- Me pregunto quien llegó.I wonder who has come.This sentence is useful for wondering about a person's arrival using me pregunto.Tatoeba #482493 by Eckhardtgabriel, translation #276391 by adjusting
- Me pregunto cómo llegar al aeropuertoI wonder how to get to the airport
- Me pregunto por qué no hay transporte público los domingos en esta ciudad.I wonder why there is no public transportation on Sundays in this city.
- Me pregunto a qué hora se servirá la cena.I wonder what time dinner will be served.
- Me pregunto si habrá algún descuento en esta tienda.I wonder if there will be any discounts in this store.
- Me pregunto dónde está la estación de tren.I wonder where the train station is.
- Me pregunto cuánto cuesta esta camisa.I wonder how much this shirt costs.
- Me pregunto dónde estásI wonder where you are
- Me da curiosidad saber qué pasóI wonder what happened
- Me pregunto a qué hora empieza el concierto.I wonder what time the concert starts.
- Me hace preguntarme qué sucederáI wonder what will happen
- 316 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are sitting in a cafe looking at the street.
- JavierMe pregunto si el tren ya pasó.I wonder if the train already passed.
- SofíaNo lo sé, Javier.I don't know, Javier.
- JavierDeberíamos mirar el horario.We should check the schedule.
- SofíaTienes razón, busquemos uno en el móvil.You are right, let's look for one on the phone.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
