El sábado quiero descansar en casa con mi familia.

On Saturday I want to rest at home with my family.

Breakdown of El sábado quiero descansar en casa con mi familia.

• la familia: the family
• yo: I
• querer: to want
• en: at
• mi: my
• con: with
• descansar: to rest
• la casa: the home
• el sábado: the Saturday

Questions & Answers about El sábado quiero descansar en casa con mi familia.

Why is there el before sábado? Can you just say Sábado quiero descansar… without el?

In Spanish, days of the week usually take the definite article el when you mean “on [a specific] Saturday”.

• El sábado quiero descansar… = On Saturday I want to rest… (this coming Saturday, or a specific one already known from context).
• Saying just Sábado quiero descansar… is not natural in standard Spanish; you normally need the article with the day here.

Contrast:

• El sábado = on Saturday (one particular Saturday)
• Los sábados = on Saturdays (every Saturday, a habitual action)

So: El sábado quiero descansar… = On Saturday I want to rest…
Los sábados quiero descansar… = On Saturdays I want to rest… (as a routine).

Why is there no yo before quiero? Can I say Yo quiero descansar…?

Spanish verb endings already show the subject, so the pronoun is often dropped:

• Quiero = I want
• Quieres = you (singular) want
• Quiere = he/she/you (formal) want(s)

So Quiero descansar… already means I want to rest… without yo.

You can say Yo quiero descansar…, and it’s correct, but it usually adds emphasis, like:

• Yo quiero descansar (…not them / especially me).

In neutral, everyday speech, people normally say Quiero descansar… without yo.

Why is it quiero descansar and not quiero descanso or quiero descansarme?

1. Querer + infinitive is the normal way to say to want to do something:

   • Quiero descansar = I want to rest (I want to do the action of resting).

2. Querer + noun is different:

   • Quiero descanso = literally I want rest (I want some rest).
     This is possible, but it sounds less like a plan for Saturday and more like a general complaint or desire.

3. Descansar is usually not reflexive in Spanish:

   • Quiero descansar is standard.
   • Quiero descansarme is grammatically possible but much less common; in Spain it can sound marked or old‑fashioned in this context.

So in this sentence, the most natural and common structure is quiero descansar.

Why is it en casa and not a casa or en la casa?

Spanish makes three different distinctions here:

1. Location vs movement

   • en casa = at home (location, no movement)
   • a casa = (going) home (movement towards home)

   So:

   • Quiero descansar en casa = I want to rest at home.
   • Quiero ir a casa = I want to go home.

2. Possessive is usually omitted with “home”
   In Spanish, you normally say:

   • en casa (literally “in house”) to mean at home, usually my home by default. You only say en mi casa when you need to emphasize my (as opposed to someone else’s).

3. No article for “home” in this sense

   • en casa = at home (general; your own place)
   • en la casa = in the house (a specific house, as a building, not the idiomatic “home”)

So descansar en casa is the idiomatic way to say rest at home.

Why is quiero in the present tense if we’re talking about the future (Saturday)?

Spanish often uses the present indicative to talk about future plans, especially when combined with a time expression:

• El sábado quiero descansar… = On Saturday I want to rest…

This is very natural and common. The future tense querré (I will want) would be unusual here.

Alternatives:

• El sábado voy a descansar en casa… = On Saturday I’m going to rest at home (very common).
• El sábado descansaré en casa… = On Saturday I will rest at home (grammatically fine, but a bit more formal or “predicty”).

So the present tense quiero plus a future time expression (el sábado) is perfectly normal to express a future plan.

Can I move el sábado to another place in the sentence?

Yes. In Spanish, time expressions are fairly flexible. All of these are correct:

• El sábado quiero descansar en casa con mi familia.
• Quiero descansar el sábado en casa con mi familia.
• Quiero descansar en casa con mi familia el sábado.

Typical patterns:

• Time at the beginning (very common): El sábado quiero…
• Time after the verb or near the end: Quiero descansar el sábado…, …con mi familia el sábado.

Putting it first is slightly more common when you want to highlight when it happens.

What exactly does el sábado mean here? “This Saturday” or “on Saturdays in general”?

By default:

• El sábado = on Saturday (one specific Saturday, probably the coming one, or a specific one already known from context).
• Los sábados = on Saturdays (every Saturday, habitually).

If you want to be very explicit about this Saturday:

• Este sábado quiero descansar… = This Saturday I want to rest…

In many everyday contexts, el sábado will be understood as this coming Saturday.

Why is the preposition en used with descansar? Could it be descansar a casa or something else?

With descansar (to rest) you normally use en to indicate where:

• descansar en casa = rest at home
• descansar en la cama = rest in bed
• descansar en el sofá = rest on the sofa

You don’t use a here, because a usually indicates movement towards a place (e.g. ir a casa – go home). Descansar describes a state/activity, not movement, so it takes en, not a.

Why mi familia and not la familia or con familia?

All of these exist, but they don’t mean exactly the same:

1. mi familia = my family (your own family: partner, children, parents, etc.)
2. la familia = the family (some specific family known in context; could be yours or someone else’s; often needs previous context).
3. con familia (without article or possessive) is usually not used to mean with (my) family. It sounds incomplete or like part of a bigger phrase.

So to say with my family, you normally say:

• con mi familia

Using mi makes it clear it’s your family.

Is familia masculine or feminine, and why is it mi familia and not mis familia?

• Familia is a feminine singular noun: la familia.
• Mi / mis agree in number (singular/plural), not in gender.

So:

• mi familia = my family (one family → singular)
• mis familias = my families (more than one family → plural)

You never say mis familia because familia is singular here.
Gender agreement shows up in the article and adjectives:

• la familia grande (feminine singular)
• las familias grandes (feminine plural)

What’s the difference between descansar and relajarme in this context?

Both are related but not identical:

• descansar = to rest, to take a break, to stop working/doing things that tire you. It focuses on physical or mental rest.
• relajarme = to relax myself, to unwind, to de‑stress. It focuses more on feeling relaxed emotionally or mentally.

In this sentence:

• El sábado quiero descansar en casa…
  Emphasis on not working, taking a break, recovering energy.

You could also say:

• El sábado quiero relajarme en casa con mi familia.
  Emphasis on chilling out, relaxing with them.

Both are possible; descansar is slightly more neutral and common for “rest.”

How would I say “On Saturdays I like to rest at home with my family” instead?

You need two changes: express a habit and use gustar.

A natural version:

• Los sábados me gusta descansar en casa con mi familia.

Breakdown:

• Los sábados = on Saturdays (habitual)
• me gusta = I like
• descansar = to rest
• en casa con mi familia = at home with my family

So:

• El sábado quiero descansar… = This/that Saturday I want to rest… (a plan)
• Los sábados me gusta descansar… = On Saturdays I like to rest… (a habit)

How do you pronounce sábado and quiero in Spanish (Spain)?

Approximate pronunciation (Castilian Spanish):

• sábado: [SA-ba-do]

  • Stress on the first syllable: SÁ‑ba‑do
  • The d between vowels is softer than in English; the last o is a pure “o” sound.

• quiero: [KYE-ro]

  • qui = like English “kyi” (k + y + short i), not “kwee”
  • qu before e or i is always a hard k sound.
  • Stress on que: KYE‑ro.

These are approximations; listening to native audio will help fine‑tune the sounds.