Estos días ando bastante agobiada, pero sé que se me pasa cuando organizo mejor la semana.

Questions & Answers about Estos días ando bastante agobiada, pero sé que se me pasa cuando organizo mejor la semana.

Why does the sentence start with estos días? Does it mean these days in the same way as in English?

Yes. Estos días means these days / lately / at the moment. It refers to a current period of time, not literally just the specific days today and tomorrow.

So in this sentence, Estos días ando bastante agobiada means something like Lately I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed.

A few similar expressions:

  • últimamente = lately
  • ahora mismo = right now
  • en estos días can exist too, but it is not the best choice here
Why is ando used instead of estoy?

Andar can be used in Spanish, especially in everyday speech, to talk about how someone has been feeling or doing over a period of time.

So:

  • ando bastante agobiada = I’ve been pretty overwhelmed / I’m going around feeling pretty overwhelmed lately
  • estoy bastante agobiada = I’m quite overwhelmed

Using ando here makes it sound a bit more like a temporary, ongoing state in recent days. It often gives a more informal, conversational tone.

Compare:

  • Estoy cansada = I’m tired
  • Ando cansada estos días = I’ve been tired lately
Why is it agobiada and not agobiado?

Because the speaker is female. The adjective agrees with the person speaking.

  • A woman would say: ando bastante agobiada
  • A man would say: ando bastante agobiado

This agreement is very common with adjectives in Spanish.

What exactly does agobiada mean?

Agobiada means overwhelmed, stressed, under pressure, or weighed down. It often suggests mental or emotional overload rather than just simple tiredness.

So it is stronger and more specific than:

  • cansada = tired
  • ocupada = busy

If someone says estoy agobiada or ando agobiada, they usually mean they have too much going on and feel mentally burdened.

What does bastante mean here? Is it enough or quite?

Here, bastante means quite, pretty, or rather.

So:

  • bastante agobiada = quite/pretty overwhelmed

Bastante can sometimes mean enough, but that depends on context.

Compare:

  • He estudiado bastante = I’ve studied enough / quite a lot
  • Estoy bastante cansado = I’m quite tired

In this sentence, it clearly works as an intensifier.

Why is there no yo before ando or ?

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

  • ando already means I am going around / I’ve been
  • already means I know
  • organizo already means I organize

So yo is unnecessary unless the speaker wants emphasis or contrast.

For example:

  • Yo sé que se me pasa, pero tú no me crees.
    = I know it passes, but you don’t believe me.
What does sé que mean exactly?

Sé que means I know that.

  • = I know
  • que = that

In English, that is often omitted:

  • I know (that) it’ll pass

In Spanish, que is normally kept:

  • Sé que se me pasa

So this is a very standard structure:

  • Sé que vendrá = I know he/she will come
  • Sé que tienes razón = I know you’re right
Why does the sentence say se me pasa? What does that structure mean?

Se me pasa is a very common Spanish way to say it passes for me, meaning it goes away, it wears off, or I get over it.

Breakdown:

  • pasa = passes / goes away
  • me = to me / for me
  • se is part of the pronominal expression pasarse in this kind of use

So:

  • Se me pasa = It passes / It goes away for me / I get over it

In natural English here:

  • I know it passes
  • I know it goes away
  • I know I get over it

Spanish often uses this kind of structure where the experience happens to someone:

  • Se me olvidó = I forgot / It slipped my mind
  • Se me pasó el enfado = My anger passed
Why is it cuando organizo in the present tense, not something like cuando organizaré or cuando organicé?

Because Spanish often uses the present tense after cuando when talking about something that regularly happens or is generally true.

Here the meaning is:

  • I know it goes away when I organize the week better

This is a repeated pattern, not one single future event.

So cuando + present works well for habits or general truths:

  • Me siento mejor cuando duermo bien = I feel better when I sleep well
  • Se enfada cuando espera mucho = He gets annoyed when he has to wait a lot

If it were about a future event, Spanish often uses the present subjunctive after cuando:

  • Cuando organice mejor la semana, estaré menos agobiada
    = When I organize the week better, I’ll be less overwhelmed
What does organizo mejor la semana mean exactly? Why not mi semana or la semana mejor?

Organizo mejor la semana means I organize the week better or more naturally I plan my week better.

A few points:

  1. la semana Spanish often uses the definite article where English might use a possessive.

    • organizo la semana can mean I organize my week
    • It sounds natural in Spanish because the context already makes it clear whose week it is
  2. mejor Here mejor is an adverb meaning better, modifying organizo.

    • organizo mejor = I organize better
  3. la semana mejor would usually not work here That would suggest the better week, which is a different idea.

So the structure is:

  • organizo = I organize
  • mejor = better
  • la semana = the week
Could ando bastante agobiada be translated literally as I walk quite overwhelmed?

Not naturally. Although andar literally means to walk, in many contexts it also means to be around, to be doing, or to be feeling in an ongoing way.

So here you should not translate it literally. A natural translation would be:

  • I’ve been pretty overwhelmed lately
  • I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed these days

This is a good example of why literal word-for-word translation can be misleading.

Is this sentence informal or formal?

It sounds neutral to informal, very natural in everyday conversation.

Things that make it sound conversational:

  • Estos días = a common spoken time expression
  • ando = informal, personal, conversational
  • se me pasa = very common everyday phrasing

It is not slang, though. You could easily say this to friends, family, coworkers, or in many normal situations.

Could a speaker also say Estos días estoy bastante agobiada, pero sé que se me pasa...?

Yes, absolutely. That would also be correct and natural.

The difference is mainly nuance:

  • ando bastante agobiada = a bit more colloquial, suggesting a state you’ve been in lately
  • estoy bastante agobiada = simpler, more straightforward: I’m quite overwhelmed

Both are good Spanish. The version with ando just has a slightly more lived-in, everyday feel.

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