En mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo; es bastante flexible.

At my job I don’t have a fixed schedule; it’s quite flexible.

Breakdown of En mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo; es bastante flexible.

• ser: to be
• yo: I
• mi: my
• tener: to have
• el horario: the schedule
• en: at
• un: a
• bastante: quite
• flexible: flexible
• no: not
• el trabajo: the job
• fijo: fixed

Questions & Answers about En mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo; es bastante flexible.

Why is it en mi trabajo and not something like a mi trabajo or en el trabajo?

The preposition en is used for being “in/at” a place, so en mi trabajo literally means “at my job / at my workplace.”

• a mi trabajo would usually mean “to my job” (direction, movement), as in Voy a mi trabajo – “I go to my job.”
• en el trabajo means “at work / at the job (in general).”
  
  • en mi trabajo emphasizes your specific job.
  • en el trabajo is more general, like “at work” as a context, not necessarily your job.

All three can be correct in different sentences, but for “At my job I don’t have a fixed schedule,” you need en mi trabajo.

Why is there no yo before tengo? Can I say Yo en mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo?

Spanish usually omits subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• tengo can only be “I have”, so yo is not needed.
• Saying Yo en mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo is grammatically correct, but:
  • Without context, it can sound like you are contrasting yourself with others:
    Yo en mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo (pero otros sí).
    “I, at my job, don’t have a fixed schedule (but others do).”

In neutral statements, native speakers normally say En mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo.

What exactly does trabajo mean here: “work” or “job”? Could I use empleo instead?

Here trabajo means “job” / “workplace” rather than the abstract idea of “work.”

• En mi trabajo ≈ “At my job / At work.”
• empleo is more formal and specifically means job / employment:
  • You could say En mi empleo no tengo un horario fijo, and it’s correct.
  • But in everyday speech in Latin America, trabajo is much more common than empleo in this kind of sentence.

So trabajo is the natural, conversational choice.

What’s the difference between horario and hora? Why not no tengo horas fijas?

• hora = an hour or a specific time.
  
  • a las 8 horas – at eight o’clock.
• horario = a schedule / timetable, the organized set of times.

You could say:

• No tengo horas fijas – “I don’t have fixed times (to start or finish, etc.).”
  This focuses more on individual times.
• No tengo un horario fijo – “I don’t have a fixed schedule.”
  This focuses on the overall pattern or structure of your work hours.

For talking about work schedules, horario is the most natural word.

Why is it un horario fijo and not just no tengo horario fijo without un?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

• No tengo un horario fijo
  
  • Slightly more concrete/specific: “I don’t have a fixed schedule (like a specific one defined for me).”
• No tengo horario fijo
  
  • A bit more general or descriptive: “I don’t have fixed hours / I don’t keep a fixed schedule.”

In everyday conversation, No tengo un horario fijo is very common and sounds completely natural. Dropping the article (No tengo horario fijo) is also correct and may sound just a bit more “bare” or descriptive.

Why is horario masculine? How do we know to use un and fijo, not una and fija?

In Spanish, each noun has a grammatical gender that you simply have to learn:

• el horario → masculine noun
• Therefore:
  • un horario, not una horario
  • horario fijo, not horario fija

Adjectives and articles must agree in gender and number with the noun:

• un horario fijo (masc. sing.)
• unos horarios fijos (masc. plural)
• una hora fija (fem. sing.)
• unas horas fijas (fem. plural)

So the form un horario fijo is forced by the gender of horario.

Why does the adjective fijo come after horario? Could I say un fijo horario?

In Spanish, most adjectives normally go after the noun:

• un horario fijo (standard, neutral)
• un coche nuevo, una casa grande, etc.

Saying un fijo horario is incorrect; many adjectives simply cannot go before the noun in normal usage.

Some adjectives can go before or after the noun with a change in nuance (e.g. un gran hombre vs un hombre grande), but fijo with horario is standardly placed after: un horario fijo.

What does bastante mean here? Is it “enough” or “quite/very”?

Bastante has two main uses:

1. As an adjective = enough, sufficient
   
   • Tengo bastante dinero. – “I have enough money.”
2. As an adverb of degree = quite, rather, pretty (X)
   
   • Es bastante caro. – “It’s quite expensive.”

In es bastante flexible, bastante is an adverb meaning:

• “It is quite flexible.”
• “It is pretty flexible.”
• “It is rather flexible.”

It does not mean “enough flexible” here.

Could I say es muy flexible instead of es bastante flexible? What’s the difference?

Yes, both are correct, but they express different degrees:

• es muy flexible – very flexible; stronger, more emphatic.
• es bastante flexible – quite / rather / pretty flexible; a bit softer.

So bastante suggests a considerable degree, but not as strong or absolute as muy.

What does flexible modify here? The horario or trabajo?

Grammatically, es bastante flexible is a new clause with its own subject: (el horario) es bastante flexible.

Even though horario isn’t repeated, the most natural interpretation in this context is:

• En mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo; (ese horario) es bastante flexible.

You could technically understand it as “my job is flexible,” but the logical and default reading is that the schedule is flexible. If you wanted to be crystal clear that the job itself is flexible, you’d more likely say:

• Mi trabajo es bastante flexible.

Why is there a semicolon (;) and not just a period or a comma?

In Spanish, the semicolon works much like in English:

• It connects two closely related independent clauses.
• It’s stronger than a comma, weaker than a period.

You could also write:

• En mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo. Es bastante flexible. (Two separate sentences.)
• En mi trabajo no tengo un horario fijo, es bastante flexible.
  – This comma is common in informal writing, but strictly speaking, it’s a comma splice and less correct in formal writing.

Using ; here is stylistically good Spanish to show the close connection between the two ideas.

Could I say En mi trabajo no hay un horario fijo instead of no tengo un horario fijo?

Yes, but the focus changes slightly:

• No tengo un horario fijo.
  
  • Focuses on you personally: I don’t have a fixed schedule (for myself).
• No hay un horario fijo (en mi trabajo).
  
  • Focuses on the existence (or lack) of a fixed schedule at your job: There is no fixed schedule (at my job).

In many contexts they overlap in meaning, but tengo is more personal/possessive, and hay is about whether such a thing exists there.

Could I drop en mi trabajo and just say No tengo un horario fijo; es bastante flexible?

Yes, grammatically that’s fine:

• No tengo un horario fijo; es bastante flexible.

However, without context it may be less clear what you are talking about:

• Are you speaking about your work schedule?
• Your study schedule?
• Your gym routine?

En mi trabajo sets the context right away. In most real conversations, you’d either keep it or make sure the context was already clear from previous sentences.

Is horario always for work schedules, or can it be used for other things?

Horario is used for schedules in general, not only for work:

• horario de clases – class schedule / timetable
• horario de trenes – train timetable
• horario de apertura – opening hours
• horario de atención – business hours / customer service hours

So un horario fijo can refer to any kind of fixed schedule, not just a job.