What people usually do: soler, cada and the prepositions of holidays
Habit is what people do the same way every time, and Spanish has a dedicated verb for it that English lacks. For example: “Solemos cenar en casa de mis padres en Nochebuena” — We usually have dinner at my parents' on Christmas Eve. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Habit is what people do the same way every time, and Spanish has a dedicated verb for it that English lacks.
Soler plus the infinitive — 'to usually do something'. Suelo cenar tarde — I usually have dinner late; solemos ir al pueblo en agosto — we usually go to the village in August. English says 'usually' and moves on; a Spaniard conjugates a whole verb for it. The stem breaks under stress: suelo, sueles, suele, but solemos, soléis, suelen. In the past it lives only in the imperfecto: solíamos comer todos juntos — we used to have lunch all together. English 'used to' is the closest match.
Repetition without a verb. Cada año, cada dos días, todos los años, todos los domingos — the difference is subtle: cada counts the interval, todos los lists the occasions. Una vez al mes, dos veces al año — the preposition a with the article, not en.
The prepositions around holidays trip people most often. With a date — el: el doce de octubre. With a month and a year — en: en agosto, en 2026. But with the holiday itself Spain says por: por Navidad, por Semana Santa, por San Juan — 'at Christmas', 'at Easter'. En Navidad is heard too, but por sounds native. Clock time — a: a las doce.
And the last thing: a holiday's name usually goes capitalized and without an article (en Nochebuena, por Reyes), while the day itself takes one: el día de Reyes, la noche de San Juan.
Table
| meaning | how to say it | example | note |
|---|---|---|---|
| I usually do | soler + infinitive | suelo cenar tarde | the stem breaks |
| used to | solía + infinitive | solíamos ir al pueblo | imperfecto only |
| every year | cada año | cada dos días | counts the interval |
| on Sundays | todos los domingos | todos los años | lists the occasions |
| twice a year | dos veces al año | una vez al mes | the preposition 'a' |
| at Christmas | por Navidad | por Semana Santa | in Spain: por |
| on the twelfth of October | el doce de octubre | el día de Reyes | a date takes el |
By example
- Solemos cenar en casa de mis padres en NochebuenaWe usually have dinner at my parents' on Christmas Eve
- Antes solíamos ir al pueblo todos los veranosWe used to go to the village every summer
- Por San Juan encienden hogueras en la playaAt San Juan they light bonfires on the beach
- La familia se reúne dos veces al añoThe family gets together twice a year
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
What people usually do: how does it work in Spanish?
Habit is what people do the same way every time, and Spanish has a dedicated verb for it that English lacks.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Solemos cenar en casa de mis padres en Nochebuena” — We usually have dinner at my parents' on Christmas Eve. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.