pretendiente
suitor
pretender
to claim, to aspire to
+
-iente
present participle suffix
A pretendiente is a suitor, which comes from the verb pretender0 (to claim or aspire to0) with the -iente1 suffix, indicating someone who is actively claiming or aspiring to win someone's affection.
noun
- suitorA person who is courting or seeking to win someone's affection or hand in marriage.María tiene varios pretendientes, pero no está interesada en ninguno. // Maria has several suitors, but she's not interested in any of them.
- claimantA person who claims a right or title to something.Hay varios pretendientes al trono después de la muerte del rey. // There are several claimants to the throne after the king's death.