Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Quiero tener un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso. - I want to have a good balance between work, study, and rest.

If you said only Quiero un buen equilibrio, it would mean “I want a good balance” (as in “I want [to obtain] a good balance”), which is possible, but slightly different in nuance.

Quiero un buen equilibrio → I want a good balance (I desire it, I want that thing.)
Quiero tener un buen equilibrio → I want to have / maintain a good balance in my life.

Both are grammatically correct, but quiero tener focuses more on the state of having that balance.

Why is it un buen equilibrio and not un bien equilibrio?

Because buen is an adjective, and bien is an adverb.

buen / bueno = good (adjective, describes a noun)
bien = well (adverb, describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb)

In the sentence:

equilibrio is a noun (balance),
so we need an adjective to describe it: buen.

Un buen equilibrio = a good balance ✅
un bien equilibrio ❌ (incorrect, because bien cannot modify a noun)

Also, buen is just a shortened form (called apocopation) of bueno used before a masculine singular noun:

un buen equilibrio ✅
un equilibrio bueno ✅ (less common here, but correct)
un bueno equilibrio ❌ (you must drop the final -o before the noun)

Why is it equilibrio (masculine) and not feminine?

In Spanish, most nouns ending in -o are masculine, and equilibrio follows that pattern.

el equilibrio = the balance (masculine singular)
un equilibrio = a balance

There is no special reason beyond vocabulary; you simply learn equilibrio as a masculine noun.

So you say:

un buen equilibrio (masculine article un, masculine adjective form buen, masculine noun equilibrio)

Could I use balance instead of equilibrio, like un buen balance?

In Latin American Spanish, balance can be heard, but it’s more common for:

financial/official balance (like an accounting report),
or a balance sheet.

For the idea of life balance (between work, study, and rest), equilibrio is the most natural word.

So:

Quiero tener un buen equilibrio… ✅ (most natural)
Quiero tener un buen balance… 😐 understandable, but sounds more like financial/business jargon or Anglicized speech in many contexts.

For everyday language about lifestyle, stick with equilibrio.

Why is it un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso and not entre el trabajo, el estudio y el descanso?

Both versions are possible, but the meaning and style change slightly.

Without articles (as in your sentence):
- entre trabajo, estudio y descanso
- This sounds more general and abstract, like talking about “work, study and rest” as activities in general, not particular cases.
- Very natural in this kind of sentence.
With definite articles:
- entre el trabajo, el estudio y el descanso
- This sounds more like specific domains of your life: “between my work life, my studies, and my rest time.”
- It feels a bit more concrete or specific.

Both can be correct. For a general life principle, the version without articles is very common and natural:

Quiero tener un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso.

Why is it estudio and not estudios?

You could say either, but the nuance is slightly different:

estudio (singular, uncountable) → study as an activity.
- entre trabajo, estudio y descanso = between work, study and rest (three types of activities).
estudios (plural) → studies as an academic program / schooling.
- entre trabajo, mis estudios y descanso = between work, my studies (my degree, my academic program) and rest.

In this sentence, estudio in the singular fits nicely because trabajo, estudio and descanso are all being treated as general activities. But:

Quiero concentrarme en mis estudios. = I want to focus on my studies (my academic path/degree).

Are trabajo, estudio, and descanso nouns or verbs here?

They are nouns here.

trabajo (noun) = work
- Verb: trabajar = to work
- Noun from verb: el trabajo = the work / job
estudio (noun) = study / studying
- Verb: estudiar = to study
- Noun from verb: el estudio = the study (the activity, or a study as a document)
descanso (noun) = rest / break
- Verb: descansar = to rest
- Noun from verb: el descanso = the rest, the break

So the phrase entre trabajo, estudio y descanso is literally “between work, study and rest” — three things/areas, not three actions in verb form.

Could I say Quiero tener buen equilibrio without the un?

Yes, you can say:

Quiero tener buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso.

Dropping the article un is possible and sounds okay, especially in more formal or written contexts.

The difference is subtle:

Quiero tener un buen equilibrio…
Sounds a bit more like “a good (overall) balance”, treating it as a single state you want to achieve.
Quiero tener buen equilibrio…
Feels slightly more like “good balance in general”, more abstract and less like “one particular balance.”

In everyday speech, with the article (un buen equilibrio) is very common and very natural.

Why don’t we use the subjunctive here, like quiera or tenga?

Two different ideas:

Quiero tener… (present indicative)
- Quiero is in the present indicative: I want.
- tener is an infinitive: to have.
- This structure is used when the subject is the same for both verbs:
  - I want to have → yo quiero tener.
When do we use subjunctive?
When the subject changes and you use que:
- Quiero que tengas un buen equilibrio…
  = I want you to have a good balance…
  - quiero → I want
  - que tengas → that you may have (subjunctive, different subject)

In the original sentence, the person who wants and the person who will have the balance are the same (yo), so we use quiero + infinitive (tener), not the subjunctive.

Would it sound better to say mi trabajo, mi estudio y mi descanso?

You can add possessives, but they are not necessary and can sound a bit heavy.

Quiero tener un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso.
→ It’s already understood we’re talking about my work, my study, my rest in context.

If you really want to stress that it’s specifically your things:

Quiero tener un buen equilibrio entre mi trabajo, mis estudios y mi descanso.

Note:

mi trabajo (singular)
mis estudios (plural, here “my studies/my degree program”)
mi descanso (singular)

That version is correct and natural, just slightly more explicit and a bit longer.

How would I say this in a different but natural way in Spanish?

Some natural alternatives in Latin American Spanish:

Quiero lograr un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso.
→ I want to achieve a good balance…
Quiero mantener un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso.
→ I want to maintain a good balance… (focus on keeping it over time)
Quiero equilibrar bien mi trabajo, mi estudio y mi descanso.
→ I want to balance my work, my study, and my rest well.

All of these are correct. Your original sentence (Quiero tener un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso) is very natural and commonly used.

How do you pronounce Quiero tener un buen equilibrio entre trabajo, estudio y descanso in Latin American Spanish?

Approximate pronunciation (Latin American neutral accent):

Quiero → KYEA-ro (the r is a single tap, like the tt in American English “butter”)
tener → te-NER
un → oon
buen → bwen
equilibrio → eh-kee-LEE-bryo (the b is soft, between b and v)
entre → EN-tre
trabajo → tra-BA-ho (the j = strong h sound)
estudio → es-TU-dyo or es-TU-dio (depending on region; both understood)
y → ee
descanso → des-KAN-so

Said smoothly:

“KYEA-ro te-NER oon BWEN eh-kee-LEE-bryo EN-tre tra-BA-ho es-TU-dyo ee des-KAN-so.”