Breakdown of Si tengo tiempo libre, sigo practicando español con mis amigos en la biblioteca.
Questions & Answers about Si tengo tiempo libre, sigo practicando español con mis amigos en la biblioteca.
In Spanish, after “si” (if) you normally use the present tense, not the future, even when talking about the future.
- Correct (Spanish):
- Si tengo tiempo libre, sigo practicando…
- Incorrect:
- Si tendré tiempo libre, sigo practicando…
English: If I *have time… or If I **will have time…
Spanish: Always *Si tengo… in this type of sentence.
To talk about the consequence in the future, you can use a future in the second part:
- Si tengo tiempo libre, practicaré español.
If I have free time, I will practice Spanish.
“Sigo practicando” comes from seguir + gerund (seguir + -ando / -iendo).
- seguir + gerund = to keep on / continue doing something
So:
- sigo practicando = I keep practicing / I continue practicing
Other persons:
- sigue practicando – he/she keeps practicing
- seguimos practicando – we keep practicing
It implies that the action continues over time, not just once.
After seguir, Spanish requires the gerund (practicando), not the infinitive (practicar).
- Correct:
- sigo practicando español – I keep practicing Spanish
- Incorrect:
- sigo practicar español
Many verbs that describe the development or continuation of an action take the gerund:
- empezar a practicar (start to practice) – infinitive after empezar a
- seguir practicando (keep practicing) – gerund after seguir
- terminar de practicar (finish practicing) – infinitive after terminar de
Yes, you can say:
- Si tengo tiempo libre, practico español.
Differences:
- practico español – a simple, habitual action: I practice Spanish (whenever I have free time).
- sigo practicando español – adds the idea of continuity: I still / I keep practicing Spanish (I haven’t stopped).
So “sigo practicando” suggests:
- This is something you were already doing before, and you continue doing it.
Both “practicar español” and “practicar el español” are possible, but:
- In general, when you talk about knowing, speaking, practicing a language, Spanish often drops the article:
- Habla español. – He/She speaks Spanish.
- Estudio francés. – I study French.
- Practico español. – I practice Spanish.
Using “el español” is also grammatically correct, but it can sound a bit more specific or more like you are treating it as a subject or object in a neutral/academic sense:
- El español es una lengua muy hablada. – Spanish is a widely spoken language.
In your sentence, without the article is the most natural:
… sigo practicando español…
The preposition con means “with”, and it expresses company:
- practicar español con mis amigos – to practice Spanish with my friends.
If you said “a mis amigos”, it would sound like you’re doing something to them (as if practicing Spanish on them), which is not how Spanish expresses doing an activity together.
Without any preposition, “practicar español mis amigos” would be ungrammatical. You need con to show that the friends are participants in the activity, not its direct objects.
Spanish distinguishes clearly between:
- en = in / at / on (location, place where something happens)
- a = to (movement or direction toward a place)
In your sentence:
- en la biblioteca – in/at the library (place where you practice)
- Voy a la biblioteca – I go to the library (movement toward the library)
So:
- Si tengo tiempo libre, sigo practicando español con mis amigos en la biblioteca.
If I have free time, I keep practicing Spanish with my friends *in the library.*
No, they are different:
- la biblioteca = library (you borrow books, study there)
- la librería = bookstore / bookshop (you buy books)
Your sentence:
- …en la biblioteca. – in the library
If you said “en la librería”, you’d be saying you practice Spanish in the bookshop, which is possible but a different place.
Yes, it is standard and recommended.
In Spanish, when a dependent clause (like a “si…” clause) comes first, you normally separate it with a comma:
- Si tengo tiempo libre, sigo practicando español…
If you reverse the order, the comma is usually omitted:
- Sigo practicando español con mis amigos en la biblioteca si tengo tiempo libre.
So the comma in your sentence matches normal Spanish punctuation (and is similar to English usage).
Both are possible, but they don’t mean exactly the same:
- Si tengo tiempo libre… – If I have free time…
- It’s conditional: it may or may not happen.
- Cuando tengo tiempo libre… – When I have free time…
- It’s more regular / habitual: it does happen from time to time, and then you do the action.
So:
- Si tengo tiempo libre, sigo practicando español…
Emphasizes: In the case that I have free time, I keep practicing… - Cuando tengo tiempo libre, practico español…
Emphasizes a habit: Whenever I have free time, I practice Spanish…
In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun:
- tiempo libre – literally time free → free time
- amigo español – Spanish friend
- libro interesante – interesting book
Putting the adjective before the noun (libre tiempo) is generally wrong here and sounds foreign.
You may also hear:
- un rato libre – a free moment / a bit of free time
- un poco de tiempo libre – a bit of free time
It can mean both, depending on context:
- I keep practicing – I continue the activity as a habit over time.
- I am still practicing – I haven’t stopped yet; I’m continuing.
In many contexts, “sigo practicando” is understood as a general, ongoing habit, not only what you’re doing at this exact second. So in your sentence, the natural translation is:
- If I have free time, I keep practicing Spanish with my friends in the library.