Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Hay que evitar picar dulces tarde en la noche para dormir mejor. - You have to avoid snacking on sweets late at night to sleep better.

So hay que evitar picar dulces… means that people in general (not a particular person) should avoid snacking on sweets late at night. The subject is not yo, tú, él, etc.; it’s a general recommendation for everyone.

How is hay que different from tener que or deber?

All three express obligation, but the nuance is different:

hay que + infinitive
- Impersonal and general: a rule, recommendation, or necessity that applies to people in general.
- Example: Hay que beber agua. = People should / you should drink water.
tener que + infinitive
- Personal: obligation for a specific person or group.
- Example: Tengo que beber agua. = I have to drink water.
deber + infinitive
- Often feels like “should/ought to” (moral or strong advice).
- Example: Debes beber menos café. = You should drink less coffee.

In your sentence, Hay que evitar… gives a general health recommendation, not an order to a specific person.

Why is evitar in the infinitive after hay que?

The structure hay que is always followed by an infinitive:

hay que + infinitive

The infinitive (evitar) is the “action” that must be done (or avoided). You cannot conjugate it here:

✔ Hay que evitar picar dulces…
✘ Hay que evitamos picar dulces…

So evitar stays in the base form because hay que already carries the idea of “it is necessary to.”

What does picar mean here, and how is it different from its other meanings?

Picar has many meanings depending on context. Common ones:

to sting / bite (mosquitoes, insects): El mosquito me picó.
to chop (food): Pica la cebolla.
to be spicy: Esta salsa pica.
to itch: Me pica la espalda.

In your sentence, picar dulces means:

to nibble on, pick at, or snack on sweets (usually little, repeated bites rather than a full, formal meal).

It suggests casual, often mindless eating: a bit here, a bit there, often with junk food or candy. You could also say picar algo = to snack on something.

Why is there no article before dulces? Why not los dulces?

In Spanish, when talking about things in general (not specific items), you can:

Use the plural without an article to mean “some/any [thing]” or a general category.

So:

picar dulces ≈ “eat sweets / snack on sweets (in general)”
picar los dulces = snack on the sweets (some specific sweets we already know about).

Here the idea is general: avoid snacking on sweets late at night, not avoid snacking on those particular sweets we mentioned before. That’s why there’s no article.

Does dulces mean candy specifically, or any kind of sweet food?

Dulces literally means “sweets,” but what that includes can vary by country and context:

Very often in Latin America, dulces = candy (hard candy, gummies, lollipops, etc.).
It can also be understood more broadly as sweet snacks: cookies, pastries, chocolates, etc., especially in informal speech.

If you want to be more specific, people might say:

dulces – sweets / candy in general
caramelos – candy (often hard candy)
galletas – cookies
pasteles / tortas – cakes

In your sentence, picar dulces is nicely vague: basically snacking on sweet, sugary things.

What exactly does tarde en la noche mean? Is it the same as por la noche or en la noche?

tarde en la noche means late at night, i.e., the later part of the night hours.

Compare:

por la noche – at night / in the evenings (in general, not specifying early or late).
en la noche – also “at night;” very common in Latin America, a bit less in Spain.
tarde en la noche – specifically late in the night (similar to English “late at night”).
de noche – “by night / at night” in a very general way.

So picar dulces tarde en la noche is like snacking on sweets late at night rather than just “in the evening” or “at night” in general.

Could tarde en la noche be placed somewhere else in the sentence?

In Spanish, time expressions are fairly flexible, but some positions sound more natural. Your sentence:

Hay que evitar picar dulces tarde en la noche para dormir mejor. ✅

Other natural options:

Tarde en la noche, hay que evitar picar dulces para dormir mejor. ✅ (emphasis on “late at night”)
Hay que evitar, tarde en la noche, picar dulces para dormir mejor. 😐 (possible, but sounds a bit marked / less natural in everyday speech)

What you would not normally do is put tarde en la noche between para and dormir:

✘ …para tarde en la noche dormir mejor.

So, early in the sentence or near the verb it modifies (picar) are the usual, natural spots.

What is the role of para dormir mejor here? Is it “in order to” or “so that”?

para + infinitive expresses purpose / goal: in order to, to, or so as to.

para dormir mejor = in order to sleep better / to sleep better.

Compare:

para dormir mejor, hay que evitar picar dulces tarde en la noche.
Hay que evitar picar dulces tarde en la noche para dormir mejor.

If the subject of the purpose clause were different, you’d usually use para que + subjunctive:

Hay que evitar picar dulces tarde en la noche para que los niños duerman mejor.
= We must avoid snacking on sweets late at night so that the children sleep better.

In your sentence, the person who avoids the sweets is the same person who sleeps better, so para + dormir (infinitive) is correct.

Could I say comer dulces instead of picar dulces? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say comer dulces, but the nuance changes slightly:

picar dulces – to snack / nibble on sweets; small, repeated bites, often casually or between meals.
comer dulces – to eat sweets; more neutral, could be any amount, not necessarily “picking at” them.

Both are correct Spanish. picar dulces tarde en la noche paints a more specific picture of grazing or mindlessly snacking on candy late at night, which matches the idea of an unhealthy habit.

How could I say the same idea, but directly to “you” instead of using hay que?

Here are a few natural alternatives with different levels of directness:

Debes evitar picar dulces tarde en la noche para dormir mejor.
= You should avoid snacking on sweets late at night to sleep better.
Tienes que evitar picar dulces tarde en la noche para dormir mejor.
= You have to avoid snacking on sweets late at night to sleep better.
Es mejor que evites picar dulces tarde en la noche para dormir mejor.
= It’s better if you avoid snacking on sweets late at night to sleep better.
Si quieres dormir mejor, evita picar dulces tarde en la noche.
= If you want to sleep better, avoid snacking on sweets late at night.

All of these keep the same basic message, but they make the subject explicitly you instead of a general hay que.