Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): A veces necesito estar a solas para descansar.

A veces = Sometimes / At times
It’s a very common, neutral way to say sometimes in Spanish.
You may also see a veces at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, just like sometimes in English:
- A veces necesito estar a solas para descansar.
- Necesito, a veces, estar a solas para descansar.
- Necesito estar a solas para descansar a veces. (less common, but possible)

Could I say algunas veces instead of a veces? Is there a difference?

You can say algunas veces, and it’s still correct. The difference is subtle:

A veces = the default, most common way to say sometimes.
Algunas veces = some times / some occasions; can sound a bit more counted or specific.

In most everyday situations, a veces is more natural and more frequent than algunas veces. In your sentence, A veces necesito… is the most idiomatic choice.

Why is it necesito estar and not something like necesito de estar?

In Spanish, the verb necesitar is normally followed directly by an infinitive, with no preposition:

Necesito comer. = I need to eat.
Necesito dormir. = I need to sleep.
Necesito estar a solas. = I need to be alone.

You do not say necesito de estar here.
Necesitar de exists but is rare and sounds formal/literary; in most everyday Spanish, you just use necesitar + infinitive.

Why is there no yo in necesito? Can I say Yo necesito?

Spanish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is:

necesito → the ending -o tells us it’s yo (I).

So:

Necesito estar a solas… = I need to be alone…
Yo necesito estar a solas… is also correct, but adding yo:
- can sound more emphatic: I (as opposed to others) need to be alone.
- is not necessary for basic communication.

In neutral, non‑emphatic speech, Necesito… without yo is more natural.

Why is it estar a solas and not ser a solas?

Spanish uses estar (not ser) for:

temporary states or conditions
locations
feelings and moods
being in a certain situation at a given time

Being alone is understood as a state/situation, not a permanent characteristic, so you use estar:

Estoy a solas. = I am alone (right now).
Quiero estar a solas. = I want to be alone.

Using ser a solas is incorrect in standard Spanish in this meaning.

What is the difference between estar solo/sola and estar a solas?

Both express the idea of being alone, but there’s a nuance:

Estar solo / sola
- Literal: to be alone, without other people present.
- Neutral, can be used in many contexts:
  - Estoy solo en casa. = I’m alone at home.
Estar a solas
- Idiomatic expression, often with a sense of privacy or intimacy.
- Suggests you want to be by yourself, away from others, often for emotional, mental, or private reasons:
  - Necesito estar a solas. = I need to be (by myself / in private).

In your sentence, estar a solas emphasizes needing private, personal space, not just the physical fact of being the only person in the room.

Why is it a solas (feminine plural) instead of a solo?

A solas is a fixed idiomatic phrase. Grammatically:

solas looks like feminine plural, but here:
- it does not agree with anything in the sentence.
- it stays a solas regardless of whether the person is male or female:
  - A veces necesito estar a solas. (said by a man or a woman)
  - Él quiere hablar contigo a solas. (He wants to talk to you alone / in private.)

Historically, it comes from older Spanish, but in modern usage you can just memorize a solas as a set expression meaning alone / in private / by oneself.

A solo is not used with this meaning.

Can I say a solo for a man and a sola for a woman?

No. With this meaning (to be alone / in private), Spanish uses a solas, invariable:

Necesito estar a solas. (man or woman)
Quiero hablar contigo a solas. (to a man or a woman)

The form does not change to match gender or number of the person. It’s always a solas.

Why is descansar in the infinitive and why do we use para before it?

In Spanish, para + infinitive is the standard way to express purpose (what something is for, why you do something):

Estudio para aprender. = I study to learn.
Trabajo para ganar dinero. = I work to earn money.

In your sentence:

para descansar = in order to rest / to rest.

So the structure is:

necesito (I need)
estar a solas (to be alone)
para descansar (in order to rest / so that I can rest)

You do not conjugate descansar in this position; you keep it in the infinitive after para to show purpose.

Could I say por descansar instead of para descansar?

No, not in this sentence. Por and para are not interchangeable.

Para + infinitive = purpose / goal: in order to…
- Necesito estar a solas para descansar. = I need to be alone in order to rest.
Por + infinitive is rare and only used in special, more archaic or literary cases. In modern everyday Spanish, you would not say por descansar here.

So for “in order to rest,” always use para descansar.

What is the difference between descansar and something like relajarme?

Both can involve rest, but they’re not identical:

Descansar = to rest / to take a break / to stop activity to recover.
- Physical or mental: sleeping, sitting, doing nothing, disconnecting.
Relajarme (from relajarse) = to relax (myself), to loosen tension.
- More about relief from stress or tension, not just stopping activity.

In your sentence:

para descansar = to rest / to recharge.
If you said para relajarme, it would be to relax, a bit more focused on stress relief:
- A veces necesito estar a solas para relajarme. = Sometimes I need to be alone to relax.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move a veces or para descansar around?

The word order is somewhat flexible. Some options:

A veces necesito estar a solas para descansar.
– Very natural; a veces at the start.
Necesito, a veces, estar a solas para descansar.
– Possible but sounds a bit more written or rhetorical.
Necesito estar a solas para descansar a veces.
– Grammatically okay, but the position of a veces at the end is less common and can sound slightly awkward.
Necesito, para descansar, estar a solas a veces.
– Also possible but more marked, giving special emphasis to purpose.

The most natural, straightforward version is the original:
A veces necesito estar a solas para descansar.

Are there other natural ways to say the same idea in Spanish?

Yes, several paraphrases are possible. Some common ones:

A veces necesito estar solo/sola para descansar.
(Using solo/sola instead of a solas; more literal “to be alone”.)
A veces necesito un rato a solas para descansar.
(Literally: “Sometimes I need a bit of time alone to rest.”)
A veces necesito tiempo para mí para descansar.
(“Sometimes I need time for myself to rest.”)
A veces necesito estar tranquilo/tranquila para descansar.
(“Sometimes I need to be calm/at peace to rest.”)

All keep the same basic meaning: you sometimes need alone time in order to rest.