La nuova insegnante sembra severa, ma spiega bene.

Because the sentence is referring to a female teacher, so the article and adjective are feminine singular:

• la = the, feminine singular
• nuova = new, feminine singular
• insegnante = teacher

In Italian, articles and adjectives usually have to agree with the noun’s gender and number.

So:

• il nuovo insegnante = the new male teacher
• la nuova insegnante = the new female teacher

Because insegnante is a noun that can be either masculine or feminine. Its ending does not change here; the article tells you the gender:

• l’insegnante / il nuovo insegnante = male teacher
• la nuova insegnante = female teacher

This is common in Italian. Some nouns referring to people have the same form for both genders, and the words around them show whether they are masculine or feminine.

Because severa is an adjective describing la nuova insegnante, which is feminine singular.

Italian adjectives often agree with the noun they describe:

• severo = masculine singular
• severa = feminine singular
• severi = masculine plural
• severe = feminine plural

Since the teacher is feminine singular, the correct form is severa.

Sembra is the third-person singular of sembrare, meaning to seem.

So:

• sembra severa = she seems strict / the teacher seems strict

It works like a linking verb, similar to English seem. The adjective after it describes the subject, which is why severa agrees with insegnante.

A few examples:

• Lui sembra stanco. = He seems tired.
• Lei sembra contenta. = She seems happy.

Because Italian often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form spiega already tells you the subject is he/she/it in the present tense. Since the subject is already clear from la nuova insegnante, Italian does not need to repeat lei.

So Italian says:

• La nuova insegnante sembra severa, ma spiega bene.

English usually needs:

• The new teacher seems strict, but she explains well.

Because bene is an adverb, and it modifies the verb spiega.

• bene = well
• buono/buona = good

In this sentence, the meaning is that she explains well, not that the explanation itself is good as an adjective.

Compare:

• Spiega bene. = She explains well.
• La spiegazione è buona. = The explanation is good.

English also makes this distinction: well modifies a verb, while good describes a noun.

Ma means but.

It connects two ideas that contrast with each other:

• sembra severa = she seems strict
• spiega bene = she explains well

So the sentence suggests a contrast: even though she seems strict, she explains well.

The comma helps separate the two parts of the sentence:

• La nuova insegnante sembra severa
• ma spiega bene

In Italian, a comma before ma is very common when it joins two full clauses, especially when there is a clear contrast. It is similar to English punctuation in sentences like:

• She seems strict, but she explains well.

Usually, la nuova insegnante is the more natural choice here.

In Italian, many adjectives can come before or after the noun, but the position can affect style or meaning. With nuovo, putting it before the noun is very common in ordinary descriptions:

• la nuova insegnante = the new teacher

If you put it after the noun, it can sometimes sound more contrastive or specific depending on context:

• l’insegnante nuova = the teacher who is new

So for a neutral sentence like this, la nuova insegnante is the best choice.

It can mean any of those, depending on context.

La nuova insegnante could mean:

• the new teacher at the school
• the teacher who is new to the class
• a replacement teacher who has recently arrived

Italian does not force one very specific interpretation here, just like English the new teacher can also be flexible.

Yes, in many contexts sembrare can be translated as either seem or look, depending on what sounds more natural in English.

So:

• sembra severa can be:
  • she seems strict
  • she looks strict

The Italian verb sembrare is broad and often covers both ideas.

Yes. Spiega is the present indicative, third-person singular, of spiegare.

Its basic present-tense forms are:

• io spiego = I explain
• tu spieghi = you explain
• lui/lei spiega = he/she explains
• noi spieghiamo = we explain
• voi spiegate = you all explain
• loro spiegano = they explain

So spiega bene means she explains well or she is good at explaining.

Because severa is a predicate adjective, not a noun phrase.

After a verb like essere or sembrare, Italian usually uses the adjective directly:

• È severa. = She is strict.
• Sembra severa. = She seems strict.

You would not normally put an article there. It works like English: we say she seems strict, not she seems a strict.