Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi hija estudia en la universidad y mi hijo trabaja medio tiempo. - My daughter studies at the university and my son works part-time.

Mi is the singular possessive (my) used before a singular noun: mi hija, mi hijo. If you refer to both together as a group, you’d use the plural mis: Mis hijos estudian/trabajan. In this sentence, each child is mentioned individually, so mi is repeated.

Do I need to repeat mi before the second noun, or can I say Mi hija … y hijo …?

It’s best to repeat it: Mi hija… y mi hijo…. Omitting the second mi sounds odd. Alternatively, you can group them: Mis hijos: ella estudia en la universidad y él trabaja medio tiempo.

Why not use subject pronouns like Ella and Él?

Spanish normally drops subject pronouns when the subject is clear. Here, mi hija and mi hijo already identify who does each action, so ella/él are unnecessary.

Why is it estudia and not está estudiando?

Spanish simple present often covers both habitual and current actions. Mi hija estudia can mean she is a university student (ongoing situation). Está estudiando emphasizes what she’s doing right now. Both are correct; choose based on nuance.

Why en la universidad and not a la universidad?

En indicates location: studying at a place. A indicates movement: va a la universidad (goes to university). So: estudia en la universidad, but va a la universidad.

Why include the article la in la universidad? In English we say “in college.”

Spanish typically uses a definite article with institutions in generic statements: en la universidad, en el hospital, en la escuela. You can say en una universidad if you mean “at a university (unspecified).”

Is universidad the same as “college”? What about colegio?

Yes—Spanish universidad covers both university and college in English. Colegio in many Latin American countries means elementary/secondary school, not university.

Should it be medio tiempo or media jornada or a tiempo parcial?

All are valid, with regional preferences:

Latin America: medio tiempo and tiempo parcial/a tiempo parcial are common.
Spain: media jornada and a tiempo parcial are more common. In Latin America, trabaja medio tiempo is perfectly natural.

Why medio and not media?

Agreement: tiempo is masculine, so the modifier is masculine medio. If the noun were feminine, you’d use media (e.g., media jornada).

Do I need a preposition before medio tiempo? Could I say trabaja a/de medio tiempo?

The most widespread, neutral option is without a preposition: trabaja medio tiempo. You will also hear a tiempo parcial (very standard) and, in some places, trabaja de medio tiempo, but the bare form is safest and most common in Latin America.

Can I say parte tiempo as a direct translation of “part-time”?

No. Use medio tiempo or (a) tiempo parcial.

How do I pronounce tricky letters like in hija, hijo, trabaja, universidad?

h is silent: hija ≈ ee-ha, hijo ≈ ee-ho.
j sounds like a harsh English h: trabaja ≈ tra-BA-ha.
v sounds like a soft b in most dialects: universidad ≈ oo-nee-behr-see-DAD.
Word stress: uni-ver-si-DAD, tra-BA-ja, HI-ja, HI-jo.

Should y change to e before hijo (since it starts with an i-sound)?

The conjunction y changes to e only immediately before a word starting with the i sound (e.g., padres e hijos). In this sentence it stays y because the next word is mi, not hijo. If you coordinated directly, you’d say hija e hijo, but note the exception: before words like hielo/hierro (pronounced with a y-glide), it stays y: y hielo.

Is mi ever written with an accent, like mí?

Different words: mi (no accent) is the possessive adjective my. mí (with accent) is the prepositional pronoun me, as in para mí.

Does medio tiempo ever mean sports halftime?

Yes, in sports el medio tiempo is halftime. In work contexts, trabajar medio tiempo means to work part-time; context makes it clear.

Can hijo/hija refer to adult children?

Yes. Hijo/hija refers to someone’s son/daughter regardless of age. The plural hijos can mean sons or children (mixed gender).

What’s the difference between hija/hijo, niña/niño, and mija/mijo?

hija/hijo: daughter/son (family relationship).
niña/niño: girl/boy (age, not relationship).
mija/mijo: colloquial contraction of mi hija/mi hijo, used as an affectionate address in parts of Latin America; informal.

Why trabaja and not trabajar?

Trabaja is the third-person singular present (he/she works). Trabajar is the infinitive (to work). After a clear subject like mi hijo, you need the conjugated form: mi hijo trabaja.

Could I say Mi hija está en la universidad instead of estudia en la universidad?

Yes. Está en la universidad emphasizes being enrolled/attending; estudia en la universidad highlights the activity of studying. Both are natural depending on what you want to stress.

Where else could I place medio tiempo in the sentence?

It most naturally follows the verb: mi hijo trabaja medio tiempo. You can add complements after it: Mi hijo trabaja medio tiempo en una tienda. Placing it before the verb is unusual.