Talking about drawing in free time | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre?

   What do you do in your free time?

   ¿Qué

   what

   haces

   do

   tiempo

   time

   libre

   free

   More detail

   ¿Qué asks for information about a thing or activity: “what.” In this question it introduces the activity the listener does. It is written with an accent mark in a direct question. Compare qué in questions with que in some non-question clauses; the accent helps mark the interrogative use. haces is the tú form of hacer, “to do” or “to make,” in the present tense. The subject is usually omitted in Spanish because the verb form identifies it: haces means “you do/make” for one person addressed informally. Example: ¿Qué haces hoy? — “What are you doing today?” tiempo is the noun “time.” In tiempo libre, it refers to time available for personal activities rather than time occupied by an obligation. Tiempo can also mean “weather” in other contexts, but the surrounding phrase here selects the “time” meaning. libre is an adjective meaning “free” or “available.” It describes tiempo and appears after the noun in this phrase. The form libre is used with a singular noun of either grammatical gender; its plural is libres. For example, horas libres means “free hours.” The words en tu connect the activity with its setting in time: en means “in” and tu means “your” for one person addressed informally. Thus en tu tiempo libre means “in your free time.” The possessive tu has no accent here; tú with an accent is the subject pronoun “you.” Together, ¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre? asks what activity the addressed person does during their available personal time: “What do you do in your free time?”

2. Me gusta dibujar en casa.

   I enjoy drawing at home.

   Me gusta

   I like; I enjoy

   dibujar

   to draw

   en casa

   at home

   More detail

   Me gusta uses the Spanish gustar pattern. Here, me is the first-person singular indirect-object pronoun, meaning “to me,” while gusta is the third-person singular form of gustar. The thing that is pleasing is dibujar, an infinitive, so the verb is singular. This pattern is useful for preferences: Me gusta leer means “I like reading.” With a plural thing, the verb changes: Me gustan los libros means “I like books.” dibujar is the infinitive “to draw.” It can function as the activity that someone likes, as in Me gusta dibujar. Other common infinitives can fit the same pattern: Me gusta cocinar means “I like cooking.” en casa means “at home.” en marks the location, and casa is used without an article in this established location expression. Compare en casa (“at home”) with en la casa (“in the house”), which more directly refers to a particular house or building. Together, Me gusta dibujar expresses enjoyment of the activity of drawing, and en casa specifies where the drawing takes place. The complete meaning is: “I enjoy drawing at home.”

3. Suena como un pasatiempo relajante.

   That sounds like a relaxing hobby.

   Suena como

   sounds like

   pasatiempo

   hobby; pastime

   relajante

   relaxing

   More detail

   Suena como means “sounds like” here. Suena is the present-tense third-person singular form of sonar (“to sound”): yo sueno, tú suenas, él/ella/usted suena. The subject is omitted in Spanish; here, the intended subject is conveyed by English “that.” Como is the preposition introducing what the subject resembles. Example: La idea suena como una buena solución. — “The idea sounds like a good solution.” Pasatiempo is a masculine singular noun meaning “hobby” or “pastime.” Its plural is pasatiempos. The form un is an indefinite article agreeing with this singular masculine noun; it introduces the noun but does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: Leer es un pasatiempo tranquilo. — “Reading is a quiet hobby.” Relajante is a descriptive adjective meaning “relaxing” in this sentence. It has the same form with a masculine or feminine singular noun and becomes relajantes in the plural: un pasatiempo relajante, unas actividades relajantes. Example: La música es relajante. — “Music is relaxing.” Together, Suena como un pasatiempo relajante says that the activity being referred to gives the impression of being a relaxing hobby: “That sounds like a relaxing hobby.”

4. Normalmente hago pequeños bocetos en mi cuaderno.

   I usually sketch small things in my notebook.

   Normalmente

   usually

   hago

   I make/do

   pequeños

   small

   bocetos

   sketches

   cuaderno

   notebook

   More detail

   Normalmente means “usually” and is an adverb of frequency. It can appear at the beginning or near the verb: Normalmente leo por la noche = “I usually read at night.” hago is the first-person singular present form of hacer (“to do” or “to make”). In this sentence, hacer bocetos means “to make sketches,” so the whole verb phrase can be translated “I sketch.” Spanish often omits yo because the verb form identifies the speaker: Hago dibujos = “I make drawings.” pequeños means “small.” It is the masculine plural form of pequeño, agreeing with the masculine plural noun bocetos. The useful pattern is pequeño (masculine singular), pequeña (feminine singular), pequeños (masculine plural), pequeñas (feminine plural): pequeñas casas = “small houses.” bocetos means “sketches.” It is the plural of boceto; the final -s marks the plural here. It is the direct object of hago: Hago un boceto = “I make a sketch.” cuaderno means “notebook.” Its plural is cuadernos. The possessive mi before it means “my”; mi does not change with the gender of the noun, while its plural form is mis: mi cuaderno = “my notebook,” mis cuadernos = “my notebooks.” The preposition en means “in” here. Together, Normalmente sets the frequency, hago pequeños bocetos says that the speaker makes small sketches, and en mi cuaderno gives the place. The complete utterance means “I usually sketch small things in my notebook,” as in the fixed translation; more literally, the target text says “I usually make small sketches in my notebook.”

5. ¿Practicas a menudo?

   Do you practice often?

   Practicas

   practise

   a menudo

   often

   More detail

   Practicas means “you practise” here. It is the present indicative form of practicar for tú (second-person singular); Spanish leaves the subject pronoun unstated because the verb form identifies it. The unaccented spelling matters: practicas is the verb form, while prácticas can be a plural noun or feminine plural adjective in other contexts. For a formal singular “you,” Spanish uses practica with usted, not practicas. A menudo is a reusable adverbial expression meaning “often” or “frequently.” It describes how regularly an action happens and can be placed in other sentences, such as Leo a menudo. — “I read often.” Together, Practicas a menudo? asks whether the listener practises frequently. The omitted subject is tú, and a menudo modifies the action practicas; the fixed translation is therefore “Do you practise often?”

6. Un poco, sobre todo cuando tengo tiempo.

   A little, mostly when I have time.

   Un poco

   A little

   sobre todo

   mostly

   cuando

   when

   tengo

   I have

   tiempo

   time

   More detail

   Un poco means “a little” here: it expresses a small amount or degree without specifying an exact quantity. Poco is the quantity word; un agrees with the masculine singular form used in this expression. For example: Tengo un poco de tiempo. — “I have a little time.” Sobre todo is a reusable expression meaning “mostly” or “especially.” It highlights the condition that is most important among possible conditions; it does not exclude the others. For example: Leo sobre todo por la noche. — “I mostly read at night.” Cuando introduces a time condition: “when.” It connects an event or situation with the time or circumstance in which it occurs. For example: Practico cuando puedo. — “I practice when I can.” Tengo is the first-person singular present form of tener, “to have”: tener → tengo for “I have.” The form identifies the speaker as the subject. Tener is irregular in the first-person singular present; the g appears in tengo. For example: Tengo tiempo. — “I have time.” Tiempo is a masculine singular noun meaning “time” in this context. It can also refer to weather in other contexts, but the surrounding phrase tener tiempo gives the meaning “to have time.” For example: No tengo tiempo. — “I do not have time.” Together, Un poco gives the limited degree, and sobre todo cuando tengo tiempo specifies the main circumstance: “a little, mostly when I have time.” The complete utterance is therefore: “A little, mostly when I have time.”

7. Tal vez yo también pueda probarlo.

   Maybe I can try it too.

   Tal vez

   maybe

   también

   too; also

   pueda

   can; may be able to

   probarlo

   try it

   More detail

   Tal vez introduces uncertainty: “maybe” or “perhaps.” It commonly combines with the present subjunctive when the speaker presents an uncertain possibility, as in Tal vez venga (“Maybe he/she will come”). It does not itself mean “instead of” or exclude another possibility. también means “also” or “too.” Here it adds the speaker to an already understood possibility: the speaker may be able to try it as well. The contrasting form tampoco means “neither” or “not either,” so it expresses exclusion rather than addition. pueda is the first-person singular present subjunctive of poder (“to be able to; can”). The sequence yo pueda means “I may be able to” in this uncertain setting. Compare the indicative puedo (“I can / I am able to”), used for a more direct statement: Puedo probarlo means “I can try it.” probarlo combines the infinitive probar (“to try”) with the attached direct-object pronoun lo (“it”). The pronoun is masculine singular in form, but the supplied translation identifies only an unspecified “it,” so its concrete referent is not established here. With a feminine singular direct object, Spanish uses la, as in the example Quiero probar la llave → Quiero probarla (“I want to try the key” → “I want to try it”). Together, Tal vez + yo también pueda expresses “Maybe I, too, may be able to,” and probarlo supplies the action and its object. The complete utterance therefore means: “Maybe I can try it too.”

8. Puedes usar mi lápiz viejo.

   You can use my old pencil.

   Puedes

   you can

   usar

   use

   mi

   my

   lápiz

   pencil

   viejo

   old

   More detail

   Puedes is the second-person singular informal form of poder in the present: “you can.” It addresses one person with tú; the infinitive that follows states the action made possible. Poder changes with the subject: puedo = “I can,” puedes = “you can.” usar is the infinitive “to use.” After a form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive directly: Puedes usar... = “You can use...” Example: Puedo usar tu teléfono. — “I can use your phone.” mi is the singular possessive adjective “my.” It agrees in number with the possessed noun, not in gender: mi lápiz but mis lápices. The possessive identifies the pencil as belonging to the speaker. lápiz is the noun “pencil.” Its plural is lápices, with the spelling and accent changing in the plural. Example: Necesito un lápiz. — “I need a pencil.” viejo is the masculine singular form of the adjective “old.” It agrees with the masculine singular noun lápiz: lápiz viejo. The feminine singular form is vieja, and plural forms include viejos and viejas. Example: La mochila vieja está aquí. — “The old backpack is here.” Together, Puedes usar expresses permission or ability directed at one person: “You can use.” mi lápiz means “my pencil,” and viejo describes that pencil as old. The complete utterance is: “You can use my old pencil.”