The use of 'te' here

[hamsterphone]

Hello, I just discovered this forum so forgive me if I'm breaking any rules here. I'm taking Spanish lessons and I'm quite confused on how to use the verb te in a sentence.

ex. "No te quiero provocar" vs. "No quiero provocarte"

Is there a difference between these two? Would both options be grammatically correct? I've asked a native speaker about this and he told me there isn't really a difference and that they can be used interchangeably.

[Rusty]

«No te quiero provocar» and «No quiero provocarte» mean the same thing, and can be used interchangeably. The only difference is the position of the pronoun.

'Te' is the pronoun in your sentences. Both sentences state an intention. This is why a conjugated form of querer precedes an infinitive (unconjugated verb).

There are rules for placement of pronouns in Spanish, but I won't give them all here.

In your first sentence, it precedes the verb. But if an infinitive follows the verb, the pronoun can be suffixed to the infinitive instead.