Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Deberíamos poner un límite al uso del móvil antes de dormir. - We should set a limit on phone use before sleeping.

Debemos poner un límite…
= We must / we have to set a limit…
Stronger sense of obligation or rule.
Deberíamos poner un límite…
= We should set a limit…
Softer; a recommendation, advice, or something that would be a good idea, not a strict rule.

In Spanish, the conditional form (deberíamos) often softens the statement and makes it more polite or less direct.

Why is “deberíamos” in the conditional tense, and how is it formed?

Deberíamos is the 1st person plural conditional of deber.

Formation of the conditional (for regular -er verbs like deber):

Infinitive: deber
Add conditional endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían

So:

yo debería
tú deberías
él/ella/usted debería
nosotros/nosotras deberíamos
vosotros/vosotras deberíais
ellos/ellas/ustedes deberían

Here, deberíamos = we should / we ought to.

Could you also say “Deberíamos de poner un límite…”? Is that correct?

In everyday Spain Spanish, people do sometimes say:

Deberíamos de poner un límite…

However:

Traditional grammar says that “deber + infinitive” is used for obligation / recommendation (we must / should).
“deber de + infinitive” is more for probability / conjecture (must be / is probably), e.g.
Deben de ser las diez. = It must be about ten o’clock.

Because of that, many teachers will recommend:

For advice/obligation: Deberíamos poner un límite… (preferred in standard Spanish)
For probability: Deberíamos de estar cerca. = We must be / are probably close.

In practice, in Spain, “deber de” is often used loosely, but for learners it’s safer to follow the textbook distinction.

Why is it “poner un límite” and not just a verb like “limitar”?

Both are possible, but they sound different:

Poner un límite al uso del móvil…
Literally: to put / set a limit on the use of the mobile phone…
This is a very natural, idiomatic expression in Spanish (like “set a limit” in English).
Limitar el uso del móvil…
Literally: to limit the use of the mobile phone…
Also correct, a bit more direct, slightly more formal or concise.

So you could say:

Deberíamos limitar el uso del móvil antes de dormir.
Perfectly correct; the meaning is almost the same.
The original just chooses the common phrase “poner un límite”.

What does “al” mean in “al uso del móvil”, and why not “a el uso”?

Al is the contraction of a + el:

a + el = al (mandatory contraction)
a + la does not contract: a la

In the sentence:

al uso = a + el uso

We use a because the verb “poner un límite” normally takes “a”:

poner un límite a algo = to set a limit on something

So:

poner un límite al uso del móvil
= to set a limit on the use of the mobile phone

Writing “a el uso” would be grammatically wrong; it must be “al uso”.

What about “del móvil”? Why not “de el móvil”?

Same idea: del is the contraction of de + el:

de + el = del
de + la stays de la

So:

del móvil = de + el móvil
Literally: of the phone / of the mobile

You can’t write “de el móvil”; you must contract it to “del móvil”.

Why is it “uso del móvil” and not simply “uso de móvil”?

In Spanish, we very often use a definite article (el, la, los, las) with general nouns, more than in English.

el uso del móvil
= literally the use of the mobile (phone), but in context it just means mobile use / using the mobile in general.

“uso de móvil” without el is possible in some very technical or label-like contexts (e.g. questionnaire options), but in a normal sentence “el uso del móvil” is the natural, standard way to say it.

Why “móvil” and not “teléfono” or “celular”?

This is a Spain vs Latin America difference:

In Spain, the standard everyday word is el móvil (short for teléfono móvil).
In most of Latin America, people say el celular or el teléfono celular.

So in Spain, the most natural version is:

el uso del móvil

You could say el uso del teléfono móvil, but it sounds more formal or technical.
“Deberíamos poner un límite al uso del móvil…” is normal, conversational Spain Spanish.

Why is it “antes de dormir” and not “antes dormir”?

In Spanish, when antes is followed by a verb in the infinitive, you must use de:

antes de + infinitive

Examples:

antes de salir = before leaving
antes de comer = before eating
antes de dormir = before sleeping / before going to sleep

So “antes dormir” is incorrect; it must be “antes de dormir”.

Why is “dormir” in the infinitive here, and not a conjugated form like “dormimos” or “durmamos”?

There are two main structures:

antes de + infinitive → same (implicit) subject as the main clause
- Deberíamos poner un límite… antes de dormir.
  The implied meaning is: We should set a limit… before we sleep.
antes de que + subjunctive → when the subject can be different, or just as an alternative phrasing
- Deberíamos poner un límite… antes de que durmamos.

In everyday Spanish, “antes de + infinitive” is very common and feels more natural in this context, especially because the subject is the same (we).

Does “dormir” here clearly refer to us (we), or could it be general (anyone)?

In context, “antes de dormir” usually means before we go to sleep, because:

The subject of the sentence is nosotros (we), from Deberíamos.
The infinitive often takes the same subject as the main verb unless context suggests otherwise.

However, grammatically, “antes de dormir” can also be understood generally as “before sleeping (in general)”. Context would clarify whether it’s about “we” specifically or people in general. In most everyday conversations like this, listeners will understand it as we.

Could I say “antes de irnos a dormir” or “antes de acostarnos” instead of “antes de dormir”?

Yes, both are natural and very common in Spain:

antes de irnos a dormir
= before we go to bed / before we go to sleep
More explicit; includes the reflexive nos.
antes de acostarnos
= before we go to bed
Uses acostarse (to go to bed, to lie down).

All three work:

antes de dormir
antes de irnos a dormir
antes de acostarnos

They differ slightly in nuance (more or less explicit) but are all correct and idiomatic.

Why isn’t there a pronoun like “lo” after “poner”, for example “ponerlo un límite”?

In Spanish, the structure is:

poner un límite a algo
(verb + direct object + prepositional phrase)

So in the sentence:

poner un límite → to set a limit (direct object = un límite)
al uso del móvil → on the use of the mobile phone (prepositional phrase)

There is no need for a direct object pronoun like lo here because we’re already stating the direct object explicitly (un límite).

If you had mentioned el límite before, you could later refer to it with lo:

Ya hemos puesto un límite.
We’ve already set a limit.
Lo hemos puesto.
We’ve set it.

But in the original sentence, “poner un límite al uso del móvil” is complete without any pronoun.

Can I change the word order, for example: “Deberíamos antes de dormir poner un límite al uso del móvil”?

Technically, yes, this word order is grammatically possible, but it sounds a bit awkward and less natural.

More natural options:

Deberíamos poner un límite al uso del móvil antes de dormir. (original)
Antes de dormir, deberíamos poner un límite al uso del móvil.

Spanish generally prefers:

[Main clause] + [time expression], or
[Time expression], [main clause]

Putting “antes de dormir” in the middle like “Deberíamos antes de dormir poner…” is not wrong, but it’s not the most common style in everyday speech.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Could I use it in normal conversation in Spain?

The sentence is neutral and standard; you can use it in:

everyday conversation,
a family discussion,
a school context,
even in semi-formal writing (e.g. an article about sleep habits).

It’s neither slangy nor too formal. The vocabulary (deberíamos, poner un límite, uso del móvil, antes de dormir) is very normal for Spain Spanish.