Ich habe heute Zeit, aber das Buch ist langweilig.

I have time today, but the book is boring.

Breakdown of Ich habe heute Zeit, aber das Buch ist langweilig.

• sein: to be
• ich: I
• heute: today
• das Buch: the book
• haben: to have
• die Zeit: the time
• aber: but
• langweilig: boring

Questions & Answers about Ich habe heute Zeit, aber das Buch ist langweilig.

Why do we say Ich habe heute Zeit instead of Ich bin heute frei?

In German, saying Ich habe heute Zeit literally means "I have time today," emphasizing that you possess some free time. Ich bin heute frei can also work, but it sounds more like "I am off work today" or "I am free (of commitments) today." Using habe highlights the idea of having time available.

Why is heute (today) placed after habe in Ich habe heute Zeit?

German word order allows for flexibility, but typically you see subject + verb + time. The time expression heute (today) can come right after the verb. You could also say Heute habe ich Zeit, placing heute at the beginning for emphasis—German word order is quite flexible, but the meaning remains the same.

What does aber mean in this sentence, and why is it used?

Aber is a coordinating conjunction meaning "but." It contrasts two parts of a sentence. Here, it contrasts Ich habe heute Zeit (I have time today) with das Buch ist langweilig (the book is boring), expressing that even though there is time to read, it’s not enjoyable because the book is boring.

Is langweilig an adjective or an adverb, and how is it used?

Langweilig is an adjective meaning "boring." In this sentence, das Buch ist langweilig uses the ist (is) + adjective structure, much like "The book is interesting/boring" in English. If you want an adverb, for example "I am reading boringly," you would use forms like langweilig lesen, but that’s far less common.

Why is the article das used for Buch?

Each noun in German has a gender: masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). Buch (book) is a neuter noun, so the article das is always used in the singular form (das Buch). This is a matter of memorization and practice, as the gender of German nouns is not always intuitive.