Cuando no tengo prisa, voy andando al mercado.

When I’m not in a hurry, I go to the market on foot.

Breakdown of Cuando no tengo prisa, voy andando al mercado.

• yo: I
• tener: to have
• cuando: when
• al: to the

Questions & Answers about Cuando no tengo prisa, voy andando al mercado.

Why is it tengo prisa and not estoy prisa or soy prisa?

In Spanish, prisa is used with the verb tener, not estar or ser. So tener prisa is the fixed expression for to be in a hurry.

• tengo prisa = I’m in a hurry
• no tengo prisa = I’m not in a hurry

This is one of many cases where Spanish uses tener where English uses to be:

• tener hambre = to be hungry
• tener sed = to be thirsty
• tener miedo = to be afraid

Why is there no article before prisa?

Because tener prisa is a set expression. Spanish normally does not say tener la prisa here.

So:

• Tengo prisa = correct
• No tengo prisa = correct

Using la would sound unnatural in this meaning unless you were talking about a very specific kind of hurry in a special context.

Why is it cuando no tengo prisa and not cuando no estoy teniendo prisa?