Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi rutina diaria es estudiar español por la mañana, pero también hay que descansar un poco. - My daily routine is to study Spanish in the morning, but you also have to rest a bit.

In Spanish, an infinitive (estudiar, comer, dormir) can function like a noun, similar to studying, eating, sleeping in English.

Mi rutina diaria es estudiar español…
≈ “My daily routine is studying Spanish…”

Here, estudiar names the activity, so the infinitive is the natural choice.

You can say Mi rutina diaria es que estudio español por la mañana, but it sounds more indirect and less natural. It’s more like:

“My daily routine is that I study Spanish in the morning.”

Native speakers strongly prefer es + infinitive in this type of definition of a habit or routine:

Mi trabajo es enseñar.
Su plan es viajar por un año.

Why is there no article before español? Why not estudiar el español?

In this sentence, español is the language in general, so using no article is very common after verbs like:

hablar (to speak)
estudiar (to study)
aprender (to learn)
enseñar (to teach)

Examples:

Estudio español.
Hablan inglés en casa.
Quiero aprender francés.

Using el español is not wrong, but it changes the feel slightly: it can sound more specific or more “formal,” like “the Spanish language” as a subject of study. In everyday speech about just learning the language, estudiar español (no article) is the default.

What exactly does por la mañana mean, and how is it different from en la mañana or de la mañana?

Por la mañana means “in the morning” in a general, non‑specific sense.

Estudio español por la mañana.
= I (usually) study Spanish in the morning.

Differences:

por la mañana
- Most standard and widespread for “(during) the morning” as a part of your routine.
- Very common in both Latin America and Spain.
en la mañana
- Very common in much of Latin America (especially Mexico, parts of Central and South America).
- Often interchangeable with por la mañana in everyday speech.
- Some speakers feel por la mañana sounds a bit more “standard” or formal.
de la mañana
- Usually used with clock times:
  - A las 8 de la mañana. = At 8 a.m.
- Not normally used alone to mean “in the morning” as a general time of day.

In your sentence, por la mañana is the most neutral, widely accepted choice.

What does hay que mean, and how is it different from tengo que or debemos?

Hay que + infinitive expresses an impersonal obligation: “one must,” “you have to,” “it’s necessary to.”

Hay que descansar un poco.
= One should / You have to / It’s necessary to rest a bit.

Compare:

tengo que descansar = I have to rest. (personal: obligation for me)
tenemos que descansar = we have to rest.
debemos descansar = we should / ought to rest. (more like advice or moral duty)

So:

hay que descansar → obligation for people in general, not tied to a specific person.
tengo que descansar → obligation specifically for “I.”

Who is the subject of hay que descansar? Is there a hidden “we” or “you”?

There is no real grammatical subject in hay que + infinitive. It’s an impersonal expression.

Literally: “There is (the need) to rest.”
Functionally: “You/people/we have to rest.”

In actual meaning, it usually refers to people in general, or the speaker plus the listener:

Hay que descansar un poco.
Often understood as: “We really should rest a bit,” or “You should rest a bit,” depending on context.

But grammatically, you do not add a subject pronoun (yo, tú, nosotros) with hay que; the structure itself is impersonal and fixed: hay que + infinitive.

Why is it descansar, not descansarse? When is descansarse used?

Both descansar and descansarse exist, but:

descansar (non‑reflexive) is the standard, most common way to say “to rest.”
descansarse (reflexive) is used in some regions and can sound either more informal, regional, or emphasize “giving yourself a rest.”

In your sentence:

Hay que descansar un poco.
is the most natural, neutral option.

You might hear Hay que descansarse un poco in some areas, but descansar is what you should learn and use by default.

What does un poco add here? How is un poco different from poco or un poquito?

un poco = “a little / a bit” (neutral)
- Hay que descansar un poco. = You have to rest a bit.
poco (without un) often means “not much” or “too little,” with a more negative idea:
- Descanso poco. = I rest little / not much.
un poquito = “a little bit” but softer / more affectionate or casual:
- Hay que descansar un poquito. (sounds a bit more gentle or informal)

In your sentence, un poco simply moderates the idea:

not “we must rest a lot”, but “we must rest a bit.”

Why is it rutina diaria and not diaria rutina? How does adjective position work here?

In Spanish, most adjectives normally go after the noun:

rutina diaria = “daily routine”
casa grande = big house
libro interesante = interesting book

Putting the adjective before the noun (e.g. diaria rutina) is usually:

wrong or very odd, or
reserved for specific adjectives that often precede the noun (like bueno, malo, gran, mucho, poco) or for special stylistic effects (poetry, emphasis).

So rutina diaria is the standard order.
Diaria rutina would sound poetic or strange in everyday speech.

Why is it mi rutina diaria instead of la rutina diaria?

Both exist, but they mean different things:

Mi rutina diaria…
= My daily routine… (personal, talking specifically about your own routine)
La rutina diaria…
= The daily routine… (could be talking in general, or about a routine already known from context)

In your sentence, you’re clearly describing your own schedule, so mi rutina diaria is the natural choice.

Is the comma before pero required? And could I move también to another position?

Comma before pero

In Spanish, a comma before pero is standard when it introduces a contrast between two clauses:

…por la mañana, pero también hay que descansar un poco.

You’ll almost always see the comma here, just like in English:

“…in the morning, but you also have to rest a bit.”

Position of también

You can move también, but the meaning stays almost the same; the rhythm changes:

…pero también hay que descansar un poco. (very natural)
…pero hay que descansar también un poco. (less common order)
…pero hay que también descansar un poco. (possible, but not as smooth)
…pero hay que descansar un poco también. (also common in speech)

The version in your sentence, pero también hay que descansar un poco, is very natural and idiomatic.

Why say Mi rutina diaria es estudiar español… instead of just Estudio español por la mañana…?

Both are correct, but they focus on different things:

Estudio español por la mañana.
= Simple statement of fact: what you do and when.
Mi rutina diaria es estudiar español por la mañana…
= Emphasizes the idea of a routine as a defined pattern of behavior.
It sounds more like you are describing your schedule or habit in a more structured way.

So the original sentence highlights the concept of a routine, not just a one‑time action.