Breakdown of La maestra cree que es importante estudiar lentamente cuando la lección es difícil.
ser
to be
que
that
la lección
the lesson
cuando
when
difícil
difficult
lentamente
slowly
la maestra
the teacher
importante
important
creer
to believe
estudiar
to study
Questions & Answers about La maestra cree que es importante estudiar lentamente cuando la lección es difícil.
Why is la maestra used instead of el maestro?
In Spanish, nouns have grammatical gender. La maestra is the feminine form, meaning “the (female) teacher.” If it were a male teacher, it would be el maestro.
Why is cree que followed by es importante (indicative) instead of the subjunctive?
In Spanish, when you express a belief about a statement you consider true, you usually use the indicative. Verbs like creer (“to believe”) generally require the indicative when you are confident in your belief.
Why do we place lentamente (adverb) after estudiar?
In Spanish, adverbs can go right after the verb they modify. Estudiar lentamente tells us how the action (studying) is performed. You could say lentamente estudiar, but it is less common and can sound unnatural.
Why do we say cuando la lección es difícil and not cuando la lección esté difícil?
Since it’s describing a general situation (whenever the lesson is difficult), it uses the indicative es. If it were something uncertain or hypothetical, the subjunctive could be used, but here it’s a straightforward condition.
Can I replace lentamente with despacio?
Yes, you could say despacio instead of lentamente. Both mean “slowly,” but lentamente typically sounds a bit more formal, while despacio is very common in everyday speech.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SpanishMaster Spanish — from La maestra cree que es importante estudiar lentamente cuando la lección es difícil to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions