Learn Hardcore Italian: Lei è gelosa del suo tempo libero e non vuole impegni. - She is jealous of her free time and doesn’t want commitments.

It can mean either. Italian uses lei for "she" and also Lei (often capitalized) for formal "you." At the start of a sentence, it’s capitalized anyway, so without context it’s ambiguous. The adjective gelosa tells you the person is female. If this were formal "you" addressed to a man, it would be Lei è geloso. To avoid ambiguity for "she," many writers use lowercase lei when not at sentence start.

Why is it gelosa and not geloso?

Adjectives agree with the subject’s gender and number. Lei here is feminine singular, so the adjective is gelosa. For a male subject you’d say Lui è geloso del suo tempo libero; for a plural feminine subject, Loro sono gelose; for a plural masculine or mixed group, Loro sono gelosi.

Does gelosa really mean "jealous" here? The English feels more like "protective of."

Yes. Geloso/gelosa di can be figurative, meaning "protective of" or "very attached to." È gelosa del suo tempo libero means she guards her free time and doesn’t like others encroaching on it. Other natural paraphrases:

Ci tiene molto al suo tempo libero.
È molto attaccata al suo tempo libero.

Why is it del suo tempo libero and not just di or something else?

The adjective geloso/gelosa takes the preposition di. Because tempo is masculine singular, di + il tempo contracts to del tempo. With the possessive, the full idea is di + il suo tempo, which yields del suo tempo. So: gelosa di + noun → gelosa del suo tempo.

Why is the possessive suo (not sua) if the owner is female?

Italian possessives agree with the thing possessed, not with the owner. Tempo is masculine singular, so it’s il suo tempo. Compare:

il suo lavoro (her/his job) → masculine possessed noun
la sua casa (her/his house) → feminine possessed noun

Why do we include the article with the possessive here?

In Italian, possessives typically take the definite article: il suo tempo, la sua auto, etc. The main common exception is singular family members (e.g., mia madre, not la mia madre). Here, because tempo is not a family member, the article is required: del suo tempo libero.

What exactly does impegni mean? Is it the same as "appointments"?

Impegno is flexible:

Core meaning: "commitment/obligation/engagement" (something that ties up your time or energy). Ho un impegno = "I have plans/I’m tied up."
It can overlap with "appointment" in the sense of a prior commitment, but a scheduled meeting is more precisely appuntamento (doctor’s appointment, a date).
Related terms: obbligo (duty/obligation), responsabilità (responsibility).

So non vuole impegni = "she doesn’t want commitments/obligations/strings attached."

Does non vuole impegni also mean "she doesn’t want a committed relationship"?

It can. In dating contexts, non vuole impegni idiomatically means "she isn’t looking for anything serious" or "no strings attached." More explicit options:

Non vuole una relazione seria.
Non vuole legami/vincoli.

Why is there no article before impegni?

Italian often omits the article with plural nouns to express an indefinite, generic idea ("any/some"). Non vuole impegni ≈ "she doesn’t want (any) commitments." Alternatives:

Non vuole nessun impegno (singular, "no commitment at all"; negative concord with non is normal in Italian).
Non vuole degli impegni sounds like "she doesn’t want some (specific) commitments" and is less common here.

Could I drop the subject pronoun and just say È gelosa…?

Yes. Italian is a pro‑drop language. È gelosa del suo tempo libero e non vuole impegni is perfectly natural. Use lei for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Can I use proprio instead of suo?

Yes: del proprio tempo libero. Proprio in the third person can emphasize reflexive possession ("one’s own") and reduce ambiguity. With a clear subject like lei, both suo and proprio are acceptable; proprio sounds a bit more careful/formal.

Is the word order fixed? Can I front del suo tempo libero?

Default order is most natural: È gelosa del suo tempo libero. You can front the prepositional phrase for emphasis or style: Del suo tempo libero è gelosa, which highlights that specific element. In speech, intonation would carry the emphasis.

Why the simple present (è, vuole) and not a progressive?

Italian uses the simple present for current states and general truths. Progressive forms with stare + gerundio (e.g., sta volendo, sta essendo) are unusual or incorrect with stative verbs like essere and volere. So è and vuole are the right choices.

Pronunciation tips for tricky parts like gelosa, impegni, and vuole?

gelosa: soft "g" (like English "j") → je-LOH-za; stress on LO.
impegni: gn = palatal ñ (like Spanish "piñata"): im-PE-ɲi (im-PE-nyi); stress on PE.
vuole: the "uo" is a diphthong: VWO-le; stress on VWO.
tempo: TEM-po; open "e" sound, stress on TEM.

Why is it tempo libero and not something like ora libera?

Tempo libero is the fixed expression for "free time." Ora libera would mean "a free hour" (one specific hour). If you mean the general concept of leisure time, use tempo libero.

Could I say the singular impegno instead of plural impegni?

Negative: Non vuole nessun impegno (singular) is fine and a bit stronger. Non vuole impegni (plural) is very natural and common.
Positive or specific contexts: you’d usually specify type/quantity: Vuole più impegni al lavoro; or use the uncountable sense impegno = "effort/dedication" in phrases like metterci impegno ("to put effort into it")—different meaning.

Which preposition goes with geloso/gelosa: di or per?

Use di for the thing/person you’re jealous/protective of: gelosa del suo tempo, geloso dei suoi amici. You may see geloso per in some contexts to indicate cause ("jealous because of…"), but the standard, safe pattern is geloso/gelosa di + noun.

Is the register/formality of the sentence neutral?

Yes, the wording is neutral and widely usable. If Lei is intended as formal "you," then the sentence is part of a formal address; otherwise, with lei = "she," it’s simply neutral narrative.