logo
  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class

855-997-4652LoginTry a Free Class

  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
logo
  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class

855-997-4652LoginTry a Free Class

  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
January 23, 2021 by Michelle Margaret Fajkus Spanish Grammar, Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

How to Talk About Your Habits in Spanish

Are you looking to form some new habits in Spanish —or in any field of study or area of your life? 

Experts say, depending on the habit, it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit. After an average of 66 days, a new behavior becomes automatic. 

Keep reading to discover the vocabulary and grammar you need to talk about your general, good, and bad habits in Spanish!

What are Habits?

Habits are actions you perform every day. They result from the large and small decisions you make. 

Every habit—good or bad—starts with a psychological pattern called a habit loop, which is a three-part process: 

  1. Reminder: a cue tells your brain to go into automatic mode and triggers a behavior 
  2. Routine: the behavior itself; the action you take 
  3. Reward: the benefit you gain from doing the behavior

Knowing this framework makes it easier to stick to new habits so that you can improve your well-being, work, relationships, and life in general.

How to Say “Habits” in Spanish

According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40% of an individual’s behavior! Here are the main ways to say “habits” in Spanish:

Los hábitos – habits, customs

Los costumbres – customs, habits

Plus, a couple of phrases related to habits:

Una criatura de hábitos – creature of habit 

La formación de hábitos – habit formation  

Hand-picked for you: 3 Types of Morning Routines in Spanish: Which Is Yours?

4 Ways to Talk about Habits in Spanish

What you repeatedly do forms the person you are, including your ideas, opinions, beliefs, and personality. What do you spend significant time thinking about and doing each day?

Here are the four main ways to discuss your habits in Spanish.

1. Es + habitual / normal / frecuente + infinitive

We use this phrase to speak generally about customs and habits in Spanish. It forms an impersonal sentence where the subject that performs the action is not explicitly expressed. 

The verb that expresses the routine action or frequent situation is in the infinitive form. For example:

En India es habitual tomar té chai por la tarde.
In India, people usually have chai tea in the afternoon.

En Latinoamérica es frecuente pasar la Nochebuena en familia.
In Latin America, people normally spend Christmas Eve with family.

2. Lo normal / habitual

To express the same idea, we can also use the Spanish pronoun lo and the adjective normal or habitual + the verb ser in the third-person singular (es). For example:

En mi casa, lo normal es cenar con nuestros celulares apagados.  
At my house, we normally turn off our phones at dinner.

En verano lo habitual es pasear en la playa. 
In summer, people usually go to the beach.

3. Soler

Sentences with the verb soler (“to tend to”) translate in English to adverbs such as “generally,” “usually,” and “normally.” Unlike the above cases, sentences with soler are not impersonal, so they do require verb conjugation. For example:

Suelo almorzar a las 2 de la tarde.
I usually eat lunch at 2:00 p.m.

Las maestras suelen acostarse pronto.
Teachers tend to go to bed early

Los fines de semana suelo tomar una clase de yoga. 
On weekends, I usually take a yoga class.

Mi tía suele leer poesía por la mañana. 
My aunt normally reads poetry in the morning.

Pro-Tip: Soler is a “defective” verb. In other words, it’s a verb with an incomplete conjugation. You’ll only find this verb in the present and past imperfect tense, as they are the tenses we use to describe habits in Spanish.

4. Past Imperfect Tense 

We use the imperfect tense to talk about past habits in Spanish (“used to”).

Yo solía bailar todas las semanas cuando era joven.
I used to dance every week when I was young.

Tú siempre solías volver de la escuela a las 4 de la tarde.
You always used to return from school at 4:00 p.m.

Cuando era niña, solía preparar sopa con mi mamá.
When I was a girl, I used to make soup with my mom.

Cuando vivía en Londres solía ir al museo sola.
When I lived in London, I used to go to the museum alone.

See also: Days of the Week in Spanish: Habits, Routines, and Meet-Ups

Bad Habits in Spanish

A bad habit is a negative behavior pattern. A few common examples include procrastination, overeating, and nail-biting. Here are the vocabulary words for “bad habit” in Spanish.

los malos hábitos – bad habits

la mala costumbre – bad habit

el vicio – vice, addiction

la lacra – bad habit

Common Bad Habits

La dilación, la procrastinación – procrastination

Comerse las uñas – to bite one’s nails 

Usar palabras vulgares – to use curse words

Chismear – to gossip

Fumar – to smoke

La sobreingesta, la glotonería – overeating 

Tomar demasiado – to drink too much

Example Sentences

Smoking can be a vice. 
Fumar puede ser un vicio.

Vamos a observar si ella se come las uñas o hace otro comportamiento habitual.
We will observe whether she bites her nails or engages in other habitual behavior.

El estrés puede conducir a conductas como fumar, tomar y comer en exceso.
Being under stress can lead to smoking, drinking, and overeating. 

La sobrealimentación suele provocar un rápido aumento de peso y obesidad.
Overeating often results in rapid weight gain and obesity. 

Good Habits in Spanish

In contrast, a good habit is a positive behavior pattern. Common examples of healthy habits include regular exercise, healthy eating, and meditation. Here are the vocabulary words for “good habits” in Spanish.

Singular

un buen hábito 

la sana costumbre

Plural 

los buenos hábitos 

las buenas costumbres 

Common Good Habits

Hacer ejercicio – to work out, to exercise

Tomar agua – to drink water

Comer saludable – to eat healthily

Leer regularmente – to read regularly

Meditar – to meditate

Dormir suficiente – to get enough sleep

Example Sentences

Tengo el hábito nuevo de practicar meditación cada día por media hora en el atardecer.
I have the new habit of practicing meditation for half an hour at sunset each day. 

Usualmente como fruta para el desayuno a las 9:00 a.m.
I usually eat fruit for breakfast at 9:00 a.m.

Después de la escuela, siempre voy al parque con mi perro.
After school, I always go to the park with my dog.

¿A qué hora vas a acostarte?
What time do you go to bed?

Leo durante media hora antes de dormir.
I read for half an hour before going to sleep.

Create Healthy Habits!

If you’re self-employed or looking for work, you could submit proposals or applications for half an hour each day. If you’re trying to develop a reading habit, you could read a chapter or a certain number of pages.

If you’re a musician, you could practice your instrument. If you’re a writer, you could journal or work on a chapter, story, or poem. If you’re an artist, you could do some sketching, painting, or sculpting.

If you want to move to a new country, you could do 20 minutes of foreign language study with Duolingo or Memrise. If you want to learn Spanish, you could take an online class with Homeschool Spanish Academy!

Make a Habit of Speaking Spanish 

You’ve learned all about habit formation and are now well-versed in talking about habits in Spanish! Any behavior, through regular repetition, eventually becomes automatic or habitual. 

Start a new good habit today—speaking in Spanish with a native speaker! Sign up for a free trial class at Homeschool Spanish Academy and engage in a conversation with one of our friendly, certified teachers. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can improve your Spanish skills when you make a habit of practicing regularly.

sign up for a free trial class
Sign up for your FREE TRIAL CLASS today!

Want more free Spanish lessons, fun content, and easy learning strategies? Check these out!

  • Llegar vs Llevar in Spanish: What’s the Difference?
  • Vegan and Vegetarian Vocabulary in Spanish
  • 18 Meanings of ‘Cuenta’ in Common Spanish Idioms
  • 10 Essential Ways to Use “Que” in Spanish
  • Solo vs Solamente: What’s the Difference?
  • A-Z: Beginner Spanish Word Lists for Kids + Free Flashcards
  • What Is an Infinitive in Spanish?
  • 50 Essential Medical Phrases for Your Upcoming Physical
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Michelle Margaret Fajkus
Follow on FB
Michelle Margaret Fajkus
Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.
Michelle Margaret Fajkus
Follow on FB
Latest posts by Michelle Margaret Fajkus (see all)
  • 10 Innovative Contemporary Latin American Artists Who Broke the Mold - February 16, 2023
  • The Sweetest Guide to Valentine’s Day Vocabulary in Spanish - February 14, 2023
  • 10 Famous Afro-Latinas Who’ve Made a Powerful Impact - February 9, 2023
grammar spanish vocabulary
0

Related Posts

mission trip Spanish

45+ Mission Trip Spanish Phrases You Need To Know

December 23, 2021
Read More
Spanish quotes

44 Essential Spanish Quotes and Proverbs to Fuel Your Motivation

October 21, 2021
Read More
Spanish for dummies

Spanish for Dummies [Greetings, Questions, Small Talk, and More]

March 10, 2022
Read More
Spanish body parts

Spanish Body Parts: Vocabulary, Idioms, and Culture

January 4, 2022
Read More

Leave a Comment! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How to Teach Yourself SpanishPrevious Post
How to Form and Use Past Participles in SpanishNext Post

About Us

With over 10 years of experience, HSA is where your goals merge with our teachers’ passion: to improve your Spanish fluency. Custom-tailored to fit your needs, you choose your program, schedule, favorite teachers, pace of learning, and more.. Learn More

Resources

  • About
  • Get a Transcript
  • FAQs
  • How it Works
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • 10 Ways Learning Spanish Can Improve Your Child’s Behavior
    10 Ways Learning Spanish Can Improve Your Child’s Behavior
    March 20, 2023
    You surely know that learning a second...
  • 8 Places to Learn Spanish in Costa Rica
    8 Places to Learn Spanish in Costa Rica
    March 18, 2023
    Here's an idea: learn Spanish in Costa Rica....

Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Contact Us© 2022 HSA. All rights reserved.