Soler and Acostumbrar a: Talking About Habits in Spanish

Soler and Acostumbrar a: Talking About Habits in Spanish

In this lesson, you will describe current and past habits with soler + infinitive and acostumbrar a + infinitive. You will also distinguish a habitual action from acostumbrarse a, which describes becoming accustomed to something.

Soler + infinitive for a usual habit

Soler is normally followed by an infinitive.

• Suelo desayunar a las siete. — I usually have breakfast at seven.
• Sueles caminar al trabajo. — You usually walk to work.
• Ana suele estudiar por la noche. — Ana usually studies at night.
• Solemos comer en casa. — We usually eat at home.
• Suelen viajar en verano. — They usually travel in summer.

Present forms of soler

Subject	Form
yo	suelo — I usually
tú	sueles — you usually
él / ella / usted	suele — he / she usually; you usually
nosotros / nosotras	solemos — we usually
vosotros / vosotras	soléis — you all usually
ellos / ellas / ustedes	suelen — they / you all usually

Past habits with soler in the imperfect

• Solía jugar en el parque. — I used to play in the park.
• Solías estudiar por la tarde. — You used to study in the afternoon.
• Mi familia solía viajar en verano. — My family used to travel in summer.
• Solíamos comer juntos los domingos. — We used to eat together on Sundays.

Imperfect forms of soler

Subject	Form
yo	solía — I used to
tú	solías — you used to
él / ella / usted	solía — he / she used to; you used to
nosotros / nosotras	solíamos — we used to
vosotros / vosotras	solíais — you all used to
ellos / ellas / ustedes	solían — they / you all used to

Acostumbrar a + infinitive for habitual practice

Acostumbrar a + infinitive can also describe what someone habitually does.

• Acostumbro a caminar por la mañana. — I usually walk in the morning.
• Acostumbramos a comer temprano. — We usually eat early.
• Ana acostumbra a llamar los viernes. — Ana usually calls on Fridays.

This pattern is natural in some varieties and registers more than others. Do not assume every Spanish-speaking region uses it with exactly the same frequency.

Past habit with acostumbrar a

• Acostumbraba a trabajar por la noche. — I used to work at night.
• Acostumbrábamos a visitar a mis abuelos los domingos. — We used to visit my grandparents on Sundays.

Habit is different from acostumbrarse a

Acostumbrarse a means to get used to or become accustomed to something.

• Me estoy acostumbrando al horario nuevo. — I am getting used to the new schedule.
• Se acostumbró a vivir en Madrid. — He / she got used to living in Madrid.

The first describes an adaptation process that is still happening. The second presents the adaptation as completed.

Compare habitual action and adaptation

Compare:

• Suelo trabajar por la mañana. — I usually work in the morning.
• Me estoy acostumbrando a trabajar por la mañana. — I am getting used to working in the morning.

The first states a habit. The second says the schedule is becoming familiar to the speaker.

Compare with frequency adverbs

You already know adverbs such as siempre, normalmente, a veces, and nunca.

• Normalmente desayuno a las siete. — I normally have breakfast at seven.
• Suelo desayunar a las siete. — I usually have breakfast at seven.
• A veces desayuno más tarde. — Sometimes I have breakfast later.

Soler packages habitual meaning into the verb structure. A frequency adverb modifies a normal conjugated verb.

Do not use soler without the infinitive when the activity must be stated

Suelo trabajar en casa. — I usually work at home.

The infinitive trabajar identifies the habit.

Current versus past habit

Compare:

• Ahora suelo caminar al trabajo. — Now I usually walk to work.
• Antes solía ir en autobús. — Before, I used to go by bus.

Regional awareness

Soler is widely useful. Acostumbrar a + infinitive varies more in frequency and style across regions and speakers. Learn to understand it without treating one regional preference as universally required.

Short conversation

Person A: ¿Qué sueles hacer los domingos? — What do you usually do on Sundays?

Person B: Suelo comer con mi familia. — I usually eat with my family.

Person A: ¿Y antes? — And before?

Person B: Antes solía trabajar los domingos. — Before, I used to work on Sundays.

A practical habit method

1. Use soler + infinitive for a familiar current or past habit.
2. Use the present forms suelo, sueles, suele, solemos, soléis, and suelen for current habits.
3. Use the imperfect forms solía, solías, solía, solíamos, solíais, and solían for past habits.
4. Recognize acostumbrar a + infinitive as another habitual pattern whose frequency varies regionally.
5. Distinguish acostumbrar a from acostumbrarse a, which describes becoming accustomed.
6. Compare these structures with frequency adverbs rather than assuming they are grammatically identical.

From Habits to Rearranging Plans

You can now describe current and past habits and distinguish them from the process of getting used to something. The next lesson teaches you how to rearrange plans, give a clear excuse, and suggest a practical alternative in Spanish.