Tienen una semana libre.
You have a free week.
Libre here means time with nothing booked. Semana is feminine, and libre still keeps its -e.
From Un detective suelto en Hollywood 2 · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "free" in Spanish
libre
adjectiveone form for both gendersplural: libresno charge: gratis
"Free" in Spanish is libre when it means available, not taken or at liberty: un día libre, una mesa libre. When something costs nothing, the word is gratis: La entrada es gratis. English uses one word for both ideas, and Spanish splits them.
Hear "libre" in a real movie scene
A whole week with nothing planned. The video starts and stops on that line.
Libre or gratis: which free do you need?
Match the English meaning to the Spanish word.
| English meaning | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| not busy, available | libre | ¿Estás libre el sábado? (Are you free on Saturday?) |
| not taken | libre | ¿Está libre esta silla? (Is this chair free?) |
| time off | libre | un día libre (a day off) |
| at liberty | libre | Es un país libre. (It's a free country.) |
| costs nothing | gratis | La entrada es gratis. (Admission is free.) |
| costs nothing, formal | gratuito, gratuita | transporte gratuito (free transportation) |
Tip: On a taxi, a Libre sign means it's available. On a door, Entrada libre means anyone can walk in without a ticket.
Grammar: libre, libres
Four points, including where gratis fits.
One form for both genders
un día libre, una habitación libre. Add -s for more than one: dos mesas libres.Estar libre, ser libre
Estoy libre means I'm not busy right now. Soy libre means I'm a free person, with nobody controlling me.Gratis never changes
gratis has one form for everything: un café gratis, dos entradas gratis. Its formal partner gratuito agrees: la entrada gratuita.Sugar-free and gluten-free
For this kind of free, Spanish uses sin, "without": sin azúcar, sin gluten.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
¿Está libre la habitación?
Is the room free?
La mesa está libre.
The table is free.
Es un país libre.
It's a free country.
El café es gratis.
The coffee is free.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗un café libre (a coffee that costs nothing)
✓un café gratis
Libre is about being available or unrestricted. When no money changes hands, say gratis.
✗Soy libre mañana (meaning not busy)
✓Estoy libre mañana
Having time is a passing state, so it goes with estar.
✗una mesa libra
✓una mesa libre
Libre ends in -e with feminine nouns too. Libra is a pound.
Real conversation: a place for the holidays
A short dialog while you look at a vacation rental.
Raúl, your travel companion, shows you an apartment you could rent for the vacation.
Este apartamento está libre.
This apartment is available.
Oye, tengo una pregunta.
Hey, I have a question.
¡Claro! Dime.
Sure! Go ahead.
Your turn to answer
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How to remember it
Libre sounds like liberty and gratis sounds like gratitude: liberty for open seats and free time, gratitude for things nobody charges you for.
Questions about "free" in Spanish
How do you say free in Spanish?
Libre for available, not taken or at liberty, and gratis for something that costs nothing.
What's the difference between libre and gratis?
Libre is about freedom or availability: un asiento libre is a seat nobody is using. Gratis is about price: un asiento gratis costs you nothing.
How do you say "are you free?" in Spanish?
¿Estás libre? Use estar, because being free is temporary: ¿Estás libre el viernes?
How do you say free time in Spanish?
El tiempo libre. A day off work is un día libre, and a free afternoon is una tarde libre.
