Por la noche, apago la radio y leo un rato en la cama.

In Spanish, por la noche is the normal way to mean at night / in the evening / at nighttime when talking about habits or general time.

So:

• Por la noche, apago la radio... = At night, I turn off the radio...

En la noche is much less common in Spain for this kind of sentence and often sounds more literary, regional, or tied to a specific event.

Compare:

• Por la noche leo. = I read at night.
• En la noche del viernes hubo una tormenta. = On Friday night there was a storm.

So for a daily routine, por la noche is the natural choice.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

Here:

• apago = I turn off
• leo = I read

Both verb forms clearly show the subject is I, so yo is unnecessary.

You could say:

• Por la noche, yo apago la radio y leo un rato en la cama.

But that usually adds emphasis, as if you are contrasting yourself with someone else.

For example:

• Yo apago la radio, pero mi hermano deja la tele encendida.

So in a neutral sentence, leaving out yo is more natural.

Both apago and leo are in the present simple.

• apago = first person singular of apagar
• leo = first person singular of leer

Spanish uses the present tense not only for what is happening now, but also for habits and routines.

So this sentence means something like:

• At night, I turn off the radio and read for a while in bed.

It describes what the speaker usually does, not necessarily what they are doing right this second.

Yes, radio can sometimes be masculine or feminine depending on meaning and region, but in everyday modern Spanish, especially in Spain, la radio is very common for the radio.

So:

• apago la radio = I turn off the radio

You may also hear el radio in some contexts, but that usually refers to other meanings, such as:

• the radius in geometry
• in some regions, a radio device

For learners, the safest and most natural choice here is la radio.

Apagar is the standard verb for turning off devices, lights, and similar things.

So:

• apagar la radio = to turn off the radio
• apagar la luz = to turn off the light
• apagar la ტელ = to turn off the TV

By contrast:

• cerrar means to close, so it is used for doors, windows, shops, books, etc.
• parar usually means to stop, but it is not the normal everyday verb for switching off a radio in this sentence.

So apago la radio is the idiomatic choice.

The correct form is leo, without an accent mark.

It comes from the verb leer:

• yo leo
• tú lees
• él/ella lee

Even though two vowels come together in leo, Spanish spelling does not need an accent there.

It is pronounced roughly LEH-o.

This is just the normal first-person singular form of leer.

Un rato means for a while or for a bit.

So:

• leo un rato = I read for a while

It does not specify an exact amount of time. It just means a short or moderate period.

Examples:

• Descanso un rato. = I rest for a while.
• Voy a estudiar un rato. = I’m going to study for a bit.

This is a very common expression in everyday Spanish.

In Spanish, some expressions of duration can appear without a preposition.

So:

• leo un rato = I read for a while

Spanish does not need por here.

This is similar to:

• Esperé dos horas. = I waited for two hours.
• Dormí un poco. = I slept for a bit.

So although English uses for, Spanish often just uses the time expression directly.

Spanish often uses en where English uses in or on, depending on the situation.

Here:

• en la cama means in bed

It refers to the situation of being in bed, not the physical surface in a literal English way.

So:

• leer en la cama = to read in bed

This is the normal expression in Spanish.

The comma is used because Por la noche is an introductory time expression placed at the beginning of the sentence.

So the sentence is structured like this:

• Por la noche, = At night,
• apago la radio y leo un rato en la cama.

The comma helps separate the time phrase from the main statement.

In short sentences, native speakers do not always use this comma consistently in informal writing, but it is perfectly correct and very natural here.

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible, especially with time expressions.

The original sentence:

• Por la noche, apago la radio y leo un rato en la cama.

You could also say:

• Apago la radio y leo un rato en la cama por la noche.

Both are correct. The difference is mainly one of focus and style:

• Por la noche at the beginning highlights when
• putting it at the end sounds a little more neutral in flow

Starting with the time phrase is very common when describing routines.

Yes, it naturally suggests a sequence:

1. apago la radio = I turn off the radio
2. y leo un rato en la cama = and I read for a while in bed

Because of the meaning of the verbs, it sounds like the speaker first turns off the radio and then reads.

However, grammatically, the sentence is simply joining two actions with y (and). The sense of order comes mainly from common logic and context.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Por la noche = at night / in the evening
• Antes de dormir = before going to sleep

So:

• Por la noche, apago la radio y leo un rato en la cama. = At night, I turn off the radio and read for a while in bed.

• Antes de dormir, apago la radio y leo un rato en la cama. = Before going to sleep, I turn off the radio and read for a while in bed.

The second version is more specific about when in the night this happens.