Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Su novia piensa que deberían pasar más tiempo juntos sin el móvil. - His girlfriend thinks they should spend more time together without the phone.

La novia de él = his girlfriend
La novia de ella = her girlfriend
La novia de ellos = their girlfriend
Su novia de usted = your (formal) girlfriend, but usually clear from context like: Su novia piensa que usted debería…

Does novia mean girlfriend, fiancée, or bride?

Novia usually means girlfriend, but it can also mean:

fiancée, if they are engaged
bride, in the context of a wedding

Context tells you which one is meant. In everyday conversation, if nothing is said about marriage or an engagement, novia is normally understood as girlfriend.

Similarly:

novio = boyfriend / fiancé / groom

Who is included in deberían pasar más tiempo juntos? Who is the subject of deberían and pasar?

The subject is not written, but it is understood from context.

In this sentence, the most natural interpretation is:

they (the boyfriend and the girlfriend) should spend more time together

So the implied subject is ellos (they). Spanish normally omits subject pronouns if the verb ending already shows the person:

deberían = they should (3rd person plural)
ellos deberían pasar = they should spend (full form with pronoun, for emphasis or clarity)

Why is it piensa que deberían pasar... and not piensa que deben pasar...? What is the difference between deberían and deben?

Both are possible, but they differ in strength and tone.

deben pasar = they must / they have to spend
- sounds stronger, more like an obligation or rule
deberían pasar = they should spend / they ought to spend
- softer, more like a suggestion, advice, or opinion

In the sentence:

Su novia piensa que deberían pasar más tiempo juntos…
= His girlfriend thinks they *should spend more time together…*

This sounds like her opinion or wish, not like a strict rule.

After piensa que, why is deberían not in the subjunctive? I thought que often triggers the subjunctive.

Que can introduce the subjunctive, but not always. What matters is the main verb and the type of statement.

With pensar que (to think that), in the affirmative, Spanish normally uses the indicative (facts, beliefs), not the subjunctive:
- Piensa que tienen razón. = She thinks they are right.
- Pienso que deberías venir. = I think you should come.
With pensar que in the negative or when expressing doubt, you often get the subjunctive:
- No pienso que tengan razón. = I don’t think they are right.
- ¿Piensas que sea buena idea? (more doubtful) = Do you think it might be a good idea?

Deberían is the conditional of deber and belongs to the indicative mood. So:

Su novia piensa que deberían pasar…
= Affirmative piensa que → verb after que in (conditional) indicative, not subjunctive.

What exactly does pasar tiempo mean? Is it a fixed phrase like spend time?

Yes. Pasar tiempo is the normal way to say spend time in Spanish.

pasar tiempo con alguien = to spend time with someone
pasar más tiempo juntos = to spend more time together

Some related expressions:

pasar un buen rato = to have a good time / to have fun for a while
pasar la tarde = to spend the afternoon
pasar el día = to spend the day

In most situations where English says spend time, Spanish uses pasar tiempo (or just pasar plus a time expression, as in pasar la tarde).

Why is it juntos (masculine plural) if novia is feminine?

Juntos does not agree with novia. It agrees with the implied subject of the verb (the people who are together).

In this sentence, the people who are together are:

the boyfriend (male)
the girlfriend (female)

When a group includes at least one male, Spanish uses the masculine plural:

masculine plural: juntos
feminine plural: juntas

So:

A man and a woman: Ellos pasan tiempo juntos.
Two women: Ellas pasan tiempo juntas.
Two men: Ellos pasan tiempo juntos.

Could the word order be ... deberían pasar juntos más tiempo ... instead of más tiempo juntos? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the order a bit, and the meaning is basically the same:

deberían pasar más tiempo juntos (most natural order)
deberían pasar juntos más tiempo (also possible)

Both mean they should spend more time together.

The difference is very subtle and mainly about rhythm and emphasis. Spanish tends to place:

más before the noun: más tiempo
juntos after the time expression: más tiempo juntos

So más tiempo juntos is the most neutral, natural-sounding order, especially in Spain.

Why do we say sin el móvil with singular and the article el? Would sin móviles or sin sus móviles also work?

Sin el móvil (literally without the mobile) uses:

singular
- definite article to refer to mobile phones in a general or collective sense.

In context, sin el móvil usually means without (using) the phone, as a device or as a habit, not literally a specific single phone on the table.

Other options:

sin móviles = without phones
- more literal: no phones present at all
sin sus móviles = without their phones
- emphasises their own phones, and plural

All three are grammatically correct. The original sin el móvil sounds like without the phone as a general distraction (scrolling, checking messages, etc.), which is common in everyday speech.

In Spain, is móvil the normal word? How would this sentence change in Latin America?

In Spain, móvil is the standard word for mobile phone / cell phone:

el móvil = the mobile (phone)

In most of Latin America, people say:

el celular (or el celu, informally)
el teléfono (when it is clear they mean a cell phone)

So in Latin America the sentence would typically be:

Su novia piensa que deberían pasar más tiempo juntos sin el celular.
or
... sin el teléfono.

The rest of the sentence is fine in both Spain and Latin America; only móvil/celular usually changes.

Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like ellos or ellos deberían in the sentence?

Spanish is a pro‑drop language: it often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

deberían (‑ían) → 3rd person plural → ellos / ellas / ustedes

You add the pronoun only when you need:

emphasis:
- Ellos deberían pasar más tiempo juntos. (They, in particular, should…)
contrast:
- Ellos deberían…, pero nosotros no.
clarity when there is potential ambiguity.

In neutral, everyday speech, Su novia piensa que deberían pasar… sounds completely natural without ellos.

Is más tiempo the only option, or could you say más rato or más horas?

You can change más tiempo depending on what you want to express.

más tiempo
- most general: more time
- neutral about how long
más rato
- more informal and often suggests shorter, casual periods
- pasar más rato juntos = spend more time together (hanging out)
más horas
- more specific and quantitative: more hours
- pasar más horas juntos = spend more hours together (clear reference to duration)

The original más tiempo is the most common and flexible way to say it.

If I want to say without my phone or without our phones, how do I change sin el móvil?

You replace el with a possessive adjective and adjust singular/plural:

sin mi móvil = without my phone
sin tu móvil = without your (informal) phone
sin su móvil = without his / her / their / your (formal) phone
sin nuestro móvil = without our phone (one phone)
sin nuestros móviles = without our phones (several)
sin sus móviles = without their phones / your (plural) phones

All follow the same pattern: sin + possessive + móvil/móviles.

How would this sentence change if I were talking about your relationship in Spain, using tú and vosotros?

If you are talking to someone informally in Spain and referring to you and your girlfriend, you normally use tu and vosotros:

Tu novia piensa que deberíais pasar más tiempo juntos sin el móvil.

Differences:

Su novia → Tu novia (your girlfriend, informal)
deberían (they should) → deberíais (you plural should, vosotros form used in Spain)

Meaning:

Your girlfriend thinks you (two) should spend more time together without your phones.