Building a realistic healthy routine | Learn Spanish in English

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Use Building a realistic healthy routine to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Quiero una rutina más saludable, pero siempre abandono después de una semana.

KYEH-roh OO-nah roo-TEE-nah mahs sah-loo-DAH-bleh, PEH-roh see-EM-preh ah-bahn-DOH-noh dehs-PWEHS deh OO-nah seh-MAH-nah. I want a healthier routine, but I always quit after a week.

Tal vez estás intentando cambiar demasiadas cosas a la vez.

tahl BEHS ehs-TAHS een-tehn-TAHN-doh kahm-BYAHR deh-mah-SYAH-dahs KOH-sahs ah lah BEHS. Maybe you are trying to change too much at once.

Normalmente planeo hacer ejercicio, cocinar y acostarme más temprano al mismo tiempo.

nohr-mahl-MEHN-teh plah-NEH-oh ah-SEHR eh-hehr-SEE-syoh, koh-see-NAHR ee ah-kohs-TAHR-meh mahs tehm-PRAH-noh ahl MEES-moh TYEHM-poh. I usually plan exercise, cooking, and earlier sleep all at the same time.

Elige un hábito primero y fíjate en lo que se interpone.

eh-LEE-heh oon AH-bee-toh pree-MEH-roh ee FEE-hah-teh ehn loh keh seh een-tehr-POH-neh. Pick one habit first and look at what gets in the way.

El problema principal es que tengo poca energía después del trabajo.

ehl proh-BLEH-mah preen-see-PAHL ehs keh TEHN-goh POH-kah eh-nehr-HEE-ah dehs-PWEHS dehl trah-BAH-hoh. The main problem is that I have low energy after work.

Entonces empieza con una caminata corta antes de cenar.

ehn-TOHN-sehs ehm-PYEH-sah kohn OO-nah kah-mee-NAH-tah KOHR-tah AHN-tehs deh seh-NAHR. Then start with a short walk before dinner.

Eso parece realista y no demasiado exigente.

EH-soh pah-REH-seh reh-ah-LEES-tah ee noh deh-mah-SYAH-doh ehk-see-HEHN-teh. That feels realistic and not too demanding.

Puedes añadir comidas equilibradas más adelante, cuando caminar ya te resulte natural.

PWEH-dehs ahn-yah-DEER koh-MEE-dahs eh-kee-lee-BRAH-dahs mahs ah-deh-LAHN-teh, KWAHN-doh kah-mee-NAHR yah teh reh-SOOL-teh nah-too-RAHL. You can add balanced meals later, once walking feels natural.

Llevar un registro tres veces por semana suena mejor que intentarlo todos los días.

yeh-BAHR oon reh-HEES-troh trehs BEH-sehs pohr seh-MAH-nah SWEH-nah meh-HOHR keh een-tehn-TAHR-loh TOH-dohs lohs DEE-ahs. Tracking it three times a week sounds better than trying every day.

Los objetivos flexibles son más fáciles de mantener con el tiempo.

lohs ohb-heh-TEE-bohs flehk-SEE-blehs sohn mahs FAH-see-lehs deh mahn-teh-NEHR kohn ehl TYEHM-poh. Flexible goals are easier to keep over time.

Word by Word

Quiero “Quiero” means “I want” in “Quiero una rutina más saludable”. It is the first-person form of querer; use it before a noun or an infinitive to state what you want.

una “Una” means “a” in “una rutina” and introduces a feminine singular noun. It agrees with “rutina”; use the same article pattern before another feminine singular noun.

rutina “Rutina” means “routine”, specifically the healthier routine being discussed. It is used in “una rutina más saludable”; use it for a regular set of activities.

más “Más” means “more” in “más saludable”, forming the comparison “healthier”. It comes before the adjective here, as in “más fácil” for “easier” in a new example.

saludable “Saludable” means “healthy” in “una rutina más saludable”. It describes the routine and can also describe another health-related noun, such as a meal.

pero “Pero” means “but” and contrasts wanting a healthier routine with quitting after a week. It commonly connects two contrasting statements, as in “Quiero..., pero...”.

siempre “Siempre” means “always” in “siempre abandono”. It indicates that the action happens regularly and normally appears before the conjugated verb here.

abandono “Abandono” means “I quit” in “siempre abandono después de una semana”. It is the first-person form of abandonar; use it to say that you stop following a plan or activity.

después “Después” means “after” in “después de una semana”. With “de”, it introduces the time or event that follows; the reusable pattern here is “después de” plus a time expression.

de “De” helps express “after” in the construction “después de una semana”. It follows “después” before the noun or time expression, as in “después de...”.

semana “Semana” means “week” in “después de una semana”. It names the period after which the speaker quits; it can be used with a number or an article to describe a weekly period.

Tal “Tal” contributes to the expression “Tal vez”, which means “maybe”. In this dialogue it introduces a possible explanation, and the complete expression “Tal vez” is used before a statement.

vez “Vez” means “time” or “occasion” inside “Tal vez”, whose meaning is “maybe”. The meaning “maybe” belongs to the whole expression, so use “Tal vez” together when suggesting a possibility.

estás “Estás” means “you are” in “estás intentando cambiar”. It is the second-person form of estar and is followed here by “intentando” to describe what the listener is trying to do.

intentando “Intentando” means “trying” in “estás intentando cambiar”. It is the gerund form of intentar used with “estás”; the pattern “estar intentando” describes an action currently being attempted.

cambiar “Cambiar” means “to change” in “intentando cambiar demasiado”. It is an infinitive after “intentando”; use it after that verb to name the change being attempted.

demasiadas “Demasiadas” means “too many” in “demasiadas cosas”. It agrees with the feminine plural noun “cosas” and appears before that noun in this phrase.

cosas “Cosas” means “things” in “demasiadas cosas”, referring to the many habits or activities being changed. It is a plural noun used after a quantity word such as “demasiadas”.

a “A” contributes to the expression “a la vez”, meaning “at once” or “at the same time”. In this dialogue it is placed before “la vez”; keep the complete expression together when describing simultaneous actions.

la “La” is the feminine singular article in “a la vez”. It combines with “vez” inside that fixed expression, so “a la vez” means “at once” rather than the article having that meaning alone.

Normalmente “Normalmente” means “usually” or “normally” in “Normalmente planeo”. It shows that the action is a regular practice and commonly comes at the beginning of a sentence.

planeo “Planeo” means “I plan” in “Normalmente planeo hacer ejercicio”. It is the first-person form of planear; use it before an infinitive or activity you intend to organize.

hacer “Hacer” means “to do” in “hacer ejercicio”, the usual expression for doing exercise. It is an infinitive after “planeo”; use it before an activity when stating what you plan to do.

ejercicio “Ejercicio” means “exercise” in “hacer ejercicio”. It is the activity planned by the speaker; the reusable expression is “hacer ejercicio”.

cocinar “Cocinar” means “to cook” in the list “hacer ejercicio, cocinar y acostarme”. It is an infinitive coordinated with the other planned activities; use it to name cooking as an activity.

y “Y” means “and” and connects “cocinar” with “acostarme” in the list of activities. It joins items or actions, as in “cocinar y acostarme”.

acostarme “Acostarme” means “to go to bed” in “acostarme más temprano”. It combines the infinitive acostar with “me”, referring to the speaker; use it after a planning verb to describe going to bed.

temprano “Temprano” means “early” in “más temprano”, referring to an earlier bedtime. It follows the comparative “más”; the pattern “más temprano” means “earlier”.

al “Al” is the contraction of “a” and “el” in “al mismo tiempo”, meaning “at the same time”. It is used before a masculine singular noun after “a”, as in this complete time expression.

mismo “Mismo” means “same” in “al mismo tiempo”. It agrees with the masculine noun “tiempo” and helps form the expression “al mismo tiempo”, meaning simultaneously.

tiempo “Tiempo” means “time” in “al mismo tiempo”. Together with “al mismo”, it expresses simultaneity; use the complete pattern “al mismo tiempo” for actions happening together.

Elige “Elige” means “choose” or “pick” in “Elige un hábito primero”. It is the informal singular command form of elegir; use it when telling one person to select something.

un “Un” means “a” in “un hábito” and introduces a masculine singular noun. It agrees with “hábito”; use it before a masculine singular item being selected.

hábito “Hábito” means “habit”, here one health behavior to choose first. It appears in “un hábito” and can be used for a repeated action or routine.

primero “Primero” means “first” in “Elige un hábito primero”. It indicates the order of the advice and is placed after the action here; it can also introduce the first step in a plan.

fíjate “Fíjate” means “notice” or “pay attention” in “fíjate en lo que se interpone”. It is the informal singular command form of fijarse, with “te” attached; the reusable pattern is “fíjate en” plus what to observe.

en “En” follows “fíjate” in “fíjate en lo que se interpone” and introduces what the listener should pay attention to. The pattern “fijarse en” means to pay attention to or notice something.

lo “Lo” helps form “lo que”, meaning “what” or “the thing that” in “lo que se interpone”. It refers to an unspecified thing or factor, so the complete construction introduces what gets in the way.

que “Que” contributes to “lo que”, which means “what” in “lo que se interpone”. Together with “lo”, it introduces the thing being noticed rather than functioning as a standalone translation here.

se “Se” is part of “se interpone”, describing something that gets in the way. Here it belongs with the verb interponerse; keep it with the verb when using this meaning.

interpone “Interpone” means “gets in the way” in “lo que se interpone”. It is the third-person form of interponerse, with “lo que” as its subject; use the pattern “lo que se interpone” for an obstacle or interfering factor.

El “El” means “the” in “El problema principal”. Its capital letter appears because it begins the sentence; the same masculine singular article is written lowercase in other positions.

problema “Problema” means “problem” in “El problema principal”. It is the main difficulty the speaker identifies, and it can be described with an adjective such as “principal”.

principal “Principal” means “main” in “El problema principal”. It describes which problem matters most and follows the noun here; it can be used after a noun to identify its primary role.

es “Es” means “is” in “El problema principal es que...”. It is the third-person form of ser and links the problem with its explanation; the pattern “es que” introduces that explanation.

tengo “Tengo” means “I have” in “tengo poca energía”. It is the first-person form of tener; use it before a noun to describe possessing or experiencing something.

poca “Poca” means “little” or “not much” in “poca energía”. It agrees with the feminine singular noun “energía” and indicates a small amount.

energía “Energía” means “energy” in “tengo poca energía”. It names the resource the speaker lacks after work and is used after quantity expressions such as “poca”.

del “Del” is the contraction of “de” and “el” in “después del trabajo”. It means “of the” here and follows “después” before the masculine noun “trabajo”.

trabajo “Trabajo” means “work” in “después del trabajo”. It identifies the time after which the speaker has little energy; the reusable pattern is “después del trabajo”.

Entonces “Entonces” means “then” in “Entonces empieza...”, showing a consequence of the low energy problem. It commonly introduces advice or a next step that follows from what was just said.

empieza “Empieza” means “start” in “empieza con una caminata corta”. It is the informal singular command form of empezar; use it before “con” and the activity that should begin the plan.

con “Con” means “with” in “empieza con una caminata corta”. It introduces the activity used as the starting point; the pattern “empezar con” names what to begin with.

caminata “Caminata” means “walk” in “una caminata corta”. It refers to the short walking activity recommended before dinner; it can be modified by an adjective such as “corta”.

corta “Corta” means “short” in “una caminata corta”. It agrees with the feminine noun “caminata” and describes its limited length or duration.

antes “Antes” means “before” in “antes de cenar”. It introduces an action that happens earlier; the pattern “antes de” is followed here by the infinitive “cenar”.

cenar “Cenar” means “to have dinner” in “antes de cenar”. It is an infinitive after “antes de”; use that pattern to place one action before dinner.

Eso “Eso” means “that” or “it” in “Eso parece realista”. It refers to the suggested short walk as a whole and functions as the subject of the following evaluation.

parece “Parece” means “seems” in “Eso parece realista”. It is the third-person form of parecer; use it before an adjective to give an assessment, as in “parece realista”.

realista “Realista” means “realistic” in “parece realista”. It evaluates the suggested habit as practical and achievable; it follows “parece” in this sentence.

no “No” makes the evaluation negative in “no demasiado exigente”, meaning “not too demanding”. It comes before the expression or adjective being negated.

demasiado “Demasiado” means “too” in “no demasiado exigente”. It modifies the adjective “exigente” to indicate an excessive level; the pattern “no demasiado” means “not too”.

exigente “Exigente” means “demanding” in “no demasiado exigente”. It describes the level of effort required by the walk and follows “demasiado” in the phrase.

Puedes “Puedes” means “you can” in “Puedes añadir comidas equilibradas”. It is the second-person form of poder and is followed by an infinitive to state an available option or ability.

añadir “Añadir” means “to add” in “Puedes añadir comidas equilibradas”. It is an infinitive after “puedes”; use it before the thing that will be included later.

comidas “Comidas” means “meals” in “comidas equilibradas”. It refers to the additional healthy meals that can be included after walking becomes natural.

equilibradas “Equilibradas” means “balanced” in “comidas equilibradas”. It agrees with the feminine plural noun “comidas” and describes their nutritional balance in this context.

adelante “Adelante” means “later” in “más adelante”, indicating a future point in the routine. The complete expression “más adelante” is used for something postponed until later.

cuando “Cuando” means “when” in “cuando caminar ya te resulte natural”. It introduces the condition or time at which adding meals becomes appropriate.

caminar “Caminar” means “to walk” in “cuando caminar ya te resulte natural”. It is an infinitive functioning as the activity being evaluated; use it to refer to walking as an activity.

ya “Ya” means “already” or “by then” in “ya te resulte natural”. It shows that, at that future point, walking will have become familiar or comfortable.

te “Te” means “to you” in “te resulte natural”. It marks the person for whom walking feels natural; the pattern “te resulta natural” describes how something feels to you.

resulte “Resulte” expresses how walking turns out or feels for the listener in “te resulte natural”. It is a form of resultar used in the “cuando” clause; together with “te” and “natural”, it describes the activity becoming comfortable.

natural “Natural” means “natural” in “te resulte natural”, referring to walking feeling familiar rather than forced. It follows “resulte” as the quality experienced by the listener.

Llevar “Llevar” means “to keep” or “to maintain” in “Llevar un registro”. Here it names the activity of tracking the habit; the pattern “llevar un registro” means to keep a record.

registro “Registro” means “record” or “log” in “Llevar un registro”. It is the record kept to track the habit, and it follows “llevar” in this reusable expression.

veces “Veces” means “times” in “tres veces por semana”. It counts how often the tracking is done; use it after a number to state a frequency.

por “Por” means “per” in “tres veces por semana”. It connects the number of occurrences with the time period, forming a frequency pattern such as “... veces por semana”.

suena “Suena” means “sounds” in “suena mejor”. It is the third-person form of sonar and gives an impression or evaluation of the plan; use it before an adjective such as “mejor”.

mejor “Mejor” means “better” in “suena mejor que intentarlo todos los días”. It compares tracking three times a week with trying every day; it follows “suena” here.

intentarlo “Intentarlo” means “to try it” in “que intentarlo todos los días”. It combines the infinitive intentar with “lo”, referring to the habit or plan under discussion; use it as the second part of a comparison after “mejor que”.

todos “Todos” means “every” in “todos los días”. It agrees with the masculine plural noun “días” and forms a daily-frequency expression.

los “Los” is the masculine plural article in “todos los días”. It agrees with “días”; together with “todos”, it forms the expression “todos los días”, meaning “every day”.

días “Días” means “days” in “todos los días”. With “todos los”, it specifies the frequency as every day.

objetivos “Objetivos” means “goals” or “objectives” in “Los objetivos flexibles”. It refers to the goals being maintained over time and is modified by “flexibles”.

flexibles “Flexibles” means “flexible” in “objetivos flexibles”. It agrees with the plural noun “objetivos” and describes goals that can adapt rather than requiring a rigid routine.

son “Son” means “are” in “Los objetivos flexibles son más fáciles”. It is the plural form of ser and links the goals with their evaluation; the pattern “son más fáciles de...” describes comparative ease.

fáciles “Fáciles” means “easy” in “son más fáciles de mantener”. It agrees with the plural noun “objetivos” and is followed by “de mantener” to specify what is easy.

mantener “Mantener” means “to maintain” or “to keep” in “más fáciles de mantener”. It is an infinitive after “fáciles de” and identifies the action that becomes easier over time.

Grammar Points

Concordancia de género y número

rutina saludable y objetivos flexibles

roo-TEE-nah sah-loo-DAH-bleh ee ohb-heh-TEE-bohs flehk-SEE-blehs

healthy routine and flexible goals

Adjectives change to agree with the noun in gender and number: saludable agrees with rutina; flexibles agrees with objetivos.

Pronombre reflexivo unido al infinitivo

Planeo acostarme más adelante.

plah-NEH-oh ah-kohs-TAHR-meh mahs ah-deh-LAHN-teh

I plan to go to bed later.

With an infinitive, the reflexive pronoun can attach to the end: acostarse becomes acostarme for “to go to bed” myself.

Spanish Vocabulary

a la vez phrase

ah lah BEHS at once; at the same time

Estás intentando cambiar demasiadas cosas a la vez.

abandonar verb

ah-bahn-doh-NAHR to quit abandono

Siempre abandono después de una semana.

acostarse verb

ah-kohs-TAHR-seh to go to bed acostarme

Planeo acostarme más temprano.

cambiar verb

kahm-BYAHR to change

Estás intentando cambiar demasiadas cosas a la vez.

demasiadas det

deh-mah-SYAH-dahs too many

Estás intentando cambiar demasiadas cosas a la vez.

fijarse verb

fee-HAHR-seh to look at; to pay attention to fíjate

Fíjate en lo que se interpone.

hábito noun

AH-bee-toh habit

Elige un hábito primero.

hacer ejercicio phrase

ah-SEHR eh-hehr-SEE-syoh to exercise

Normalmente planeo hacer ejercicio.

intentar verb

een-tehn-TAHR to try; to attempt intentando

Estás intentando cambiar demasiadas cosas a la vez.

planear verb

plah-neh-AHR to plan planeo

Normalmente planeo hacer ejercicio.

rutina noun

roo-TEE-nah routine

Quiero una rutina más saludable.

saludable adj

sah-loo-DAH-bleh healthy más saludable

Quiero una rutina más saludable.

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

too many

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demasiadas

to try; to attempt

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intentando

to quit

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abandono

routine

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rutina