Breakdown of A veces el teletrabajo es muy productivo, pero otras veces me distraigo con la nevera.
Questions & Answers about A veces el teletrabajo es muy productivo, pero otras veces me distraigo con la nevera.
All three expressions are correct, but they differ slightly in frequency and tone:
a veces = sometimes, at times
- Very common, neutral.
- Implies it happens on some occasions, but not regularly.
algunas veces = a few times / some times
- Feels a bit more countable, like you’re thinking of a limited number of occasions.
- Often sounds slightly more specific than a veces.
de vez en cuando = once in a while / every now and then
- Suggests lower frequency: it doesn’t happen very often.
In this sentence, a veces is perfect because the speaker is talking about a recurring situation (working from home) that is sometimes productive and sometimes not, without suggesting it’s rare or limited to just a few occasions.
Otras veces works as an adverbial expression (like sometimes / at other times), so you don’t normally add a preposition or article:
- A veces el teletrabajo es muy productivo, pero otras veces…
= Sometimes … but at other times…
Adding en would be unusual here:
- ✗ …pero en otras veces me distraigo… sounds wrong or at least very unnatural.
Adding an article changes the meaning:
- …pero las otras veces me distraigo…
= but the other times I get distracted…
This would suggest you have a fixed, limited set of times in mind (for example, a specific list of occasions). That’s not the general idea here.
So otras veces on its own is the natural, general contrast to a veces.
In Spanish, abstract or general concepts often take the definite article more than in English:
- English: Working from home is productive.
- Spanish: El teletrabajo es productivo.
El teletrabajo here can mean:
- teleworking in general (the concept), or
- the teleworking situation in the speaker’s life.
You could say teletrabajar a veces es muy productivo (using the verb infinitive), but then you’ve changed the structure:
- el teletrabajo = noun, telework/remote work
- teletrabajar = verb (infinitive), to work remotely
Both are correct but stylistically different. The original uses the noun, so it naturally takes el.
This is the classic ser vs. estar issue.
- ser is used for more permanent or characteristic qualities.
- estar is used for states or conditions, often temporary or resulting from a change.
Here, the sentence talks about how teleworking typically tends to be (in general):
- A veces el teletrabajo es muy productivo…
→ this describes a general quality of teletrabajo on some occasions.
If you said:
- Hoy el teletrabajo está siendo muy productivo.
→ Today working from home is being very productive.
That would focus on today’s specific situation (temporary condition), so estar could appear (often with siendo).
In the original sentence, it’s about the usual nature of those occasions, so es (from ser) is the right choice.
Teletrabajo is a noun that means telework, remote work, working from home (home office).
- It comes from tele- (distance) + trabajo (work).
- There is also the verb teletrabajar = to telework.
Usage:
- In Spain, teletrabajo is very common and standard.
- In many other Spanish-speaking countries, it’s also understood and used, especially in formal or business contexts.
- You might also see trabajo remoto, trabajo a distancia, or home office (anglicism) in some places, but teletrabajo is widely recognized across the Spanish-speaking world, not just in Spain.
Two different structures:
Me distraigo con la nevera.
- Verb: distraerse (reflexive: to get distracted).
- me distraigo = I get distracted / I distract myself.
- Subject: yo (implied).
- Meaning: I’m the one doing the distracting action to myself (by paying attention to the fridge).
La nevera me distrae.
- Verb: distraer (non‑reflexive: to distract).
- me distrae = distracts me.
- Subject: la nevera.
- Meaning: The fridge distracts me.
Both are grammatically correct and meaningful, but they focus differently:
- Me distraigo con la nevera → focus on my action / tendency to get distracted.
- La nevera me distrae → focus on the fridge as the thing that distracts me.
Spanish very often uses the reflexive distraerse for “to get distracted,” so me distraigo is very natural in this context.
Yes, distraer / distraerse is irregular in the yo form.
distraer (to distract), simple present:
- yo distraigo
- tú distraes
- él / ella / usted distrae
- nosotros/as distraemos
- vosotros/as distraéis
- ellos / ellas / ustedes distraen
For the reflexive distraerse (to get distracted), you just add the reflexive pronouns:
- yo me distraigo
- tú te distraes
- él / ella / usted se distrae
- nosotros/as nos distraemos
- vosotros/as os distraéis
- ellos / ellas / ustedes se distraen
So in the sentence:
- me distraigo = yo me distraigo (I get distracted).
The preposition con is very flexible and common. Here it expresses the idea of:
- being involved with something
- having your attention engaged “with” something
In context, me distraigo con la nevera suggests:
- you end up interacting with the fridge (opening it, looking for food, thinking about snacks),
- and that interaction distracts you from work.
Alternatives:
- por la nevera would focus more on cause (because of the fridge).
- Me distraigo por la nevera. is understandable, but less natural here.
- a causa de la nevera is very formal/literal (due to the fridge), which doesn’t fit the casual tone.
Everyday Spanish very often uses con after distraerse:
- Me distraigo con el móvil.
- Se distraen con cualquier cosa.
So con la nevera is the most idiomatic choice.
Using the definite article la signals that both speaker and listener know which fridge we’re talking about:
- It’s the fridge in the speaker’s home (or usual workspace).
Compare:
- Me distraigo con la nevera.
→ The listener can imagine a specific, familiar fridge (the one at home). - Me distraigo con una nevera.
→ Sounds like you happen to get distracted by some fridge or other, not a particular one. This would be odd in this context.
In Spanish, when something is part of your normal environment (your house, your office), you typically use the definite article:
- Voy al baño. (the bathroom)
- Cierro la puerta. (the door)
- Pongo la lavadora. (the washing machine)
So la nevera is the natural way to refer to my/the fridge (where I’m teleworking).
Yes, vocabulary varies by region:
- In Spain, common words for “fridge” are:
- la nevera
- el frigorífico / frigo (also very common)
- In much of Latin America, you’ll more often hear:
- el refrigerador / refri
- la heladera (e.g. in Argentina, Uruguay)
In this sentence, nevera:
- is perfectly normal in Spain,
- is understood elsewhere, though local speakers might prefer their regional term.
So if you’re learning Spanish from Spain, nevera and frigorífico are the most useful words to know for “fridge.”