Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial porque estoy cansado.

Today I can only study partially because I am tired.

Breakdown of Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial porque estoy cansado.

• yo: I
• estar: to be
• hoy: today
• estudiar: to study
• de: of
• poder: can
• porque: because
• cansado: tired
• la forma: the way
• solo: only
• parcial: partial

Questions & Answers about Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial porque estoy cansado.

Why is there no yo at the start? Can I say Yo hoy solo puedo estudiar…?

In Spanish, the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.) is usually omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• Puedo estudiar already means I can study.
• Adding yo is only needed for emphasis or contrast:
  • Yo hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial (emphasising I, not someone else).
  • Yo puedo estudiar, pero él no.

Putting yo and hoy together (Yo hoy solo puedo…) is grammatically OK but sounds slightly heavier and more marked. The most natural everyday version is exactly the one you have:

• Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial porque estoy cansado.

What’s the difference between solo and solamente here? Can I use both?

Yes, here solo = solamente = only.

• Hoy solo puedo estudiar…
• Hoy solamente puedo estudiar…

Both are correct and common in Spain. Solo is more frequent in speech because it’s shorter.

Both in this position mean I can only study (but not do more / not study fully), not I study alone. The meaning alone depends on the position (see another question below).

Do I need an accent on solo (sólo)?

Modern standard spelling (RAE, the Spanish Academy) recommends no accent in almost all cases:

• solo (without accent) for both only and alone.

They say you should only write sólo (with accent) in very ambiguous cases where context doesn’t clarify the meaning. Most everyday writing in Spain now uses solo without an accent.

In your sentence, there’s no confusion — it clearly means only — so Hoy solo puedo estudiar… (no accent) is the recommended form.

Does Hoy solo puedo estudiar mean I can only study today or today I can only study? Where does hoy go?

Hoy solo puedo estudiar… is understood as:

• Today, I can only study (partially)…

That is, the limitation applies to today, not that studying is limited to today forever.

You could change the word order, but the nuance changes:

• Solo hoy puedo estudiar
  → Only today can I study (today is the only possible day; maybe tomorrow you can’t at all).

Spanish word order is flexible, but the default/neutral version for your meaning is:

• Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial…

What’s the difference between Hoy solo puedo estudiar and Hoy puedo estudiar solo?

The position of solo changes the meaning:

1. Hoy solo puedo estudiar
   → Today I can only study (I don’t have time/energy for anything else).

2. Hoy puedo estudiar solo
   → Today I can study alone (without company / without help).

So:

• Solo puedo estudiar → only study (restriction on activity).
• Puedo estudiar solo → study alone (study without others).

Your sentence uses the restriction meaning, so Hoy solo puedo estudiar… is correct.

Why is it de forma parcial and not something shorter like parcialmente?

Both are possible; they differ mainly in style:

• de forma parcial = literally in a partial way
  – Slightly more neutral / common in everyday speech.
• parcialmente = partially (one-word adverb)
  – Sounds a bit more formal / written to many speakers.

So you could say:

• Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial porque estoy cansado. ✅
• Hoy solo puedo estudiar parcialmente porque estoy cansado. ✅ (a bit more formal/technical)
• In very natural, colloquial Spanish from Spain, people often say:
  • Hoy solo puedo estudiar un poco / a medias / rato y ya.

But grammatically, de forma parcial and parcialmente are both fine.

Could we drop de forma and just say hoy solo puedo estudiar parcial?

No, parcial is an adjective, so it must modify a noun: estudio parcial, examen parcial, etc.

You need either:

• The periphrastic adverb with de forma / de manera:
  • estudiar de forma parcial
  • estudiar de manera parcial
• Or the adverb parcialmente:
  • estudiar parcialmente

So correct options are:

• Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial… ✅
• Hoy solo puedo estudiar de manera parcial… ✅
• Hoy solo puedo estudiar parcialmente… ✅

Why is it porque (one word) and not por qué (two words)?

Porque, por qué, por que, and porqué are four different things:

1. porque (one word)
   → conjunction: because

   • …porque estoy cansado. = …because I’m tired.

2. por qué (two words)
   → why?, used in questions (direct or indirect)

   • ¿Por qué estás cansado? = Why are you tired?
   • No sé por qué estás cansado. = I don’t know why you’re tired.

3. por que (less common; por

   • que)
     → appears in certain fixed structures (e.g. luchar por que, optar por que).

4. porqué (one word, noun)
   → the reason

   • No entiendo el porqué. = I don’t understand the reason.

In your sentence it introduces a reason, so it must be porque: …porque estoy cansado.

Why is it estoy cansado and not soy cansado?

In Spanish:

• ser is used for inherent / permanent characteristics.
• estar is used for states / conditions, especially temporary ones.

Feeling tired is normally a temporary state, so:

• Estoy cansado. = I’m (feeling) tired (now / at the moment).

Soy cansado is grammatically possible but very unusual; it would mean something like:

• I’m a tiring person or I have a tiring nature (you tire others out), which is not what you want.

So for physical or mental tiredness: estar cansado.

Why is it cansado and not cansada or cansados?

Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the person they describe.

• If the speaker is a man (or masculine grammatical subject):
  • Estoy cansado.
• If the speaker is a woman:
  • Estoy cansada.
• If the subject is a group:
  • (Nosotros) estamos cansados. (all male or mixed group)
  • (Nosotras) estamos cansadas. (all female)

So the correct form depends on who is speaking (or who yo refers to). The sentence as given assumes a masculine speaker.

Is this sentence natural in Spain, or is there a more usual way to say it?

The sentence is correct and perfectly understandable in Spain, but in everyday speech people often pick something a bit simpler and more colloquial, for example:

• Hoy solo puedo estudiar un poco porque estoy cansado.
• Hoy solo puedo estudiar a medias porque estoy cansado.
• Hoy no puedo estudiar mucho porque estoy cansado.
• Hoy apenas puedo estudiar porque estoy cansado.

Your version, Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial porque estoy cansado, sounds a bit more careful/neutral, maybe something you’d see in writing or in slightly more formal speech, but it’s not wrong or strange.

Could I replace porque with ya que or como here?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly:

• porque – the default because, neutral.

  • Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial porque estoy cansado.

• ya que – also because, but sounds a bit more explanatory / justificatory, often used when giving reasons:

  • Hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial, ya que estoy cansado.

• como (meaning since/as) – usually goes at the start of the sentence:

  • Como estoy cansado, hoy solo puedo estudiar de forma parcial.

All are correct, but porque is the simplest, most common choice.