Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo libre para estudiar español. - It is probable that tomorrow we will have free time to study Spanish.

In Spanish, after expressions that show doubt, probability, or uncertainty (like es probable que), you normally use the subjunctive. The idea is: it’s not a fact yet, it’s only probable.

Fact (indicative): Mañana tenemos tiempo libre.
(Tomorrow we have free time – speaker sees this as certain.)
Probability (subjunctive): Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo libre.
(It’s probable that tomorrow we’ll have free time – not 100% certain.)

So es probable que triggers the subjunctive tengamos, not the indicative tenemos.

How do I know when to use the subjunctive after es probable que?

With es + adjective + que, you usually use the subjunctive when the adjective expresses:

doubt / possibility: es posible que, es probable que
emotion: es triste que, es bueno que
judgement: es importante que, es necesario que

Since es probable que expresses probability (not certainty), it follows the standard rule:

Es probable que + subjunctive
Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo libre.

If you change the structure to state something as a fact (no que, no dependent clause), then you use the indicative:

Probablemente mañana tendremos tiempo libre. (no que, so indicative is fine)
Es seguro que mañana tenemos tiempo libre. (certainty, often indicative)

But in the pattern es probable que + sentence, native speakers almost always choose subjunctive.

Could I say Es probable tener tiempo libre mañana para estudiar español instead?

That wording is grammatically possible but sounds unnatural or overly formal in everyday Spanish. Native speakers strongly prefer:

Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo libre para estudiar español.

Spanish generally likes a finite verb clause after es probable que, not an infinitive.

You are more likely to see infinitive structures like:

Es probable tener problemas si llegas tarde.
(more like a general statement; sounds written/formal and not very common)

For normal spoken Spanish (in Spain), stick with:

Es probable que + subjunctive (tengamos) rather than es probable + infinitive (tener).

Can I change the word order of mañana? For example: Es probable que tengamos mañana tiempo libre…?

Yes, you can move mañana around, and all of these are correct:

Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo libre para estudiar español.
Es probable que tengamos mañana tiempo libre para estudiar español.
Mañana es probable que tengamos tiempo libre para estudiar español.

The most natural and common is probably the original: time expression mañana right after que.

Moving mañana later (after tengamos) can sound slightly more marked or emphatic, but the meaning does not really change.

What’s the difference between tiempo and tiempo libre here? Could I just say tengamos tiempo?

Tiempo on its own is simply time (in general).
Tiempo libre is free time, i.e. time not taken up by work or other obligations.

In this context:

…tengamos tiempo libre para estudiar español
implies “we’ll be free / not busy, so we can study Spanish”.

If you say only tiempo:

Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo para estudiar español.

This is also correct and common. It still means you’ll have enough time available, and the idea of it being “free” is often understood from context. Adding libre makes the nuance of “not busy / not working” more explicit, but it’s not required.

Why is it para estudiar español and not por estudiar español?

Para + infinitive often expresses purpose (in order to do something). Here:

…tiempo libre para estudiar español
= “free time in order to study Spanish”

Por + infinitive normally expresses cause/reason, not purpose, and would usually be followed by a noun phrase or have a different feel. For example:

Por estudiar tanto español, está muy cansado.
(Because of studying so much Spanish, he is very tired.)

So in your sentence the idea is “we’ll have free time for the purpose of studying Spanish”, which is correctly expressed with para, not por.

Could I say para que estudiemos español instead of para estudiar español?

You can, but it changes the structure:

…tiempo libre para estudiar español.
Para + infinitive when the subject of both verbs is the same:
(nosotros have free time; nosotros study Spanish)
…tiempo libre para que estudiemos español.
Para que + subjunctive is used when you introduce a different or emphasized subject in the second clause, or you want a more explicit “so that we (may) study Spanish”.

In practice, when the subject is the same, Spanish strongly prefers para + infinitive:

Tenemos tiempo libre para estudiar español. (most natural)
Tenemos tiempo libre para que estudiemos español. (possible, but heavier / more formal-sounding)

In your sentence, para estudiar is the most natural choice.

Why is it just mañana and not la mañana? What’s the difference?

Spanish mañana can mean two different things:

Mañana = tomorrow (adverb of time, no article)
- Mañana trabajo. (I work tomorrow.)
- Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo libre.
La mañana = the morning (noun, needs an article)
- Por la mañana estudio español. (In the morning I study Spanish.)
- Mañana por la mañana tendremos tiempo libre. (Tomorrow morning we’ll have free time.)

In your sentence, mañana clearly means tomorrow, so you do not use an article: mañana, not la mañana.

Why don’t we say para estudiar el español here?

When you talk about languages in a general way, Spanish often omits the article, especially after verbs like hablar, estudiar, aprender, etc.:

Estudiar español, hablar inglés, aprender francés.

You might see el español in contexts like:

El español es una lengua muy hablada. (Spanish is a widely spoken language.)
Me gusta el español de España. (I like Peninsular Spanish.)

But in your sentence the focus is on the activity of studying the language, so the natural phrasing is:

…para estudiar español.

Adding el (para estudiar el español) sounds unusual in modern everyday usage unless you’re contrasting it with other languages in a very specific way.

Would this sentence be different in Latin American Spanish, or is it the same?

The sentence:

Es probable que mañana tengamos tiempo libre para estudiar español.

is perfectly fine and natural in both Spain and Latin America. There’s no need to change verb forms, word order, or vocabulary here.

What might differ is how frequently people use this exact structure versus alternatives:

Spain and Latin America: both use es probable que + subjuntivo.
Alternatives you’ll also hear everywhere:
- Es posible que mañana tengamos tiempo libre…
- Puede que mañana tengamos tiempo libre… (used a lot in Spain)
- A lo mejor mañana tenemos tiempo libre… (with indicative)

But your sentence itself is fully standard across the Spanish-speaking world.