Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana cuando está nerviosa y tiene un reto difícil en la escuela. - I like to support my sister when she is nervous and has a difficult challenge at school.

Literally, Me gusta apoyar means “Supporting my sister is pleasing to me.”
The thing that is liked (apoyar, “to support”) is the grammatical subject.
Me is an indirect object pronoun: to me.

Structure:

Me gusta apoyar… = To me it is pleasing to support…

So you normally say:

Me gusta el chocolate. – I like chocolate.
Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana. – I like supporting my sister.

Yo gusto apoyar is not natural Spanish in this meaning. You almost never say yo gusto to mean “I like.” You use me gusta instead.

What exactly does apoyar mean here? Is it the same as ayudar?

Both apoyar and ayudar involve helping, but they feel a bit different:

apoyar = to support (emotionally, morally, backing someone up)
- Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana cuando está nerviosa.
  – I like to support / be there for my sister when she’s nervous.
ayudar = to help (more practical or concrete help)
- Me gusta ayudar a mi hermana con la tarea.
  – I like to help my sister with homework.

In your sentence, apoyar is good because it’s about being there for her when she’s nervous and facing a challenge. If the focus were more on doing things for her (fixing problems, doing tasks), ayudar might be more common.

Why is there an a in apoyar a mi hermana? Can I just say apoyar mi hermana?

You need a because of the “personal a” rule in Spanish.

When a specific person (or beloved pet) is a direct object, you usually put a before them.

So:

Apoyo a mi hermana. – I support my sister.
Quiero a mi hermana. – I love my sister.
Veo a mi hermana. – I see my sister.

Without the a, apoyar mi hermana sounds wrong to a native speaker.

Compare:

Apoyo el proyecto. – I support the project. (no a, because el proyecto is not a person)
Apoyo a mi hermana. – I support my sister. (person → a)

Why is it está nerviosa and not es nerviosa?

Spanish uses estar for temporary states and ser for more permanent characteristics.

Está nerviosa = she is nervous (right now / in this situation)
Es nerviosa = she is a nervous person in general, by nature

In your sentence:

…cuando está nerviosa…
means “when she feels nervous (on those occasions).”

That fits the idea of specific moments when she has a difficult challenge at school, so estar is the right choice.

Why does está have an accent, but esta usually doesn’t?

The accent in está tells you it’s a verb form (from estar) and helps distinguish it from esta without an accent:

está (with accent) = he/she is, you (usted) are
- Ella está nerviosa.
esta (no accent) = this (feminine adjective/pronoun)
- Esta chica está nerviosa. – This girl is nervous.

In your sentence, it must be the verb: cuando está nerviosa = when she is nervous, so you need the accent.

Why is it tiene un reto difícil and not something like tiene una difícil reto?

Two things are happening here:

Gender of “reto”
- reto is masculine → un reto, el reto
- So you cannot say una reto.
Adjective position
- The normal order is noun + adjective:
  - un reto difícil – a difficult challenge
  - un examen fácil – an easy exam

So the natural phrase is:

tiene un reto difícil – she has a difficult challenge.

Un difícil reto is possible in some literary or emphatic contexts, but it’s less neutral and sounds more poetic/formal. For everyday conversation, un reto difícil is standard.

Why do we use the present tense after cuando: cuando está nerviosa y tiene un reto difícil?

Here the present tense describes a general habit or repeated situation:

Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana cuando está nerviosa y tiene un reto difícil en la escuela.
= I like to support my sister whenever she’s nervous and has a difficult challenge at school.

In Spanish, for habitual actions like this, you use present after cuando, just like English:

Cuando estoy cansado, tomo café.
– When I’m tired, I drink coffee.

You would use future or subjunctive in other contexts (for future, uncertain, or specific one-time actions), but here it’s about a regular situation, so present tense is correct.

Why is it en la escuela and not a la escuela or en escuela?

Preposition:

en = in / at (location)
- en la escuela – at school / in school
a = to (movement, direction)
- Voy a la escuela. – I go to school.

In your sentence, we’re talking about where she has a difficult challenge (location), so en la escuela is right.

Article:

In Latin American Spanish, en la escuela is very common.
Dropping the article (en escuela) is usually incorrect here; you almost always say en la escuela, en la universidad, etc.

Why is it nerviosa and not nervioso? What would change if it were a brother?

Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

hermana is feminine singular → nerviosa (feminine singular)
- mi hermana está nerviosa

If you were talking about a brother (hermano, masculine):

Me gusta apoyar a mi hermano cuando está nervioso…

Some adjectives don’t change form (like difícil):

un reto difícil (masc.)
una tarea difícil (fem.)

But nervioso/nerviosa does change to match the person.

Can I change the word order of Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana?

The most natural order is:

Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana.

Other orders are grammatically possible but sound less neutral or are used for emphasis:

Apoyar a mi hermana me gusta.
– Emphatic, sounds poetic or unusual in everyday speech.

You normally do not split me gusta from the verb too much in simple sentences; keep it together at the start:

Me gusta mucho apoyar a mi hermana. (very natural)
Mucho me gusta apoyar a mi hermana. (possible, but marked/emphatic)

For everyday use, stick with Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana…

Why isn’t yo used anywhere? Could I say Yo me gusta apoyar a mi hermana?

Subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella…) are often dropped in Spanish because the verb form already shows who the subject is.

Me gusta apoyar… already implies “I like to support…”

Two important points:

You don’t say “Yo me gusta…”
Because yo is not the subject of gustar. The subject is the thing liked (apoyar a mi hermana), and me is an indirect object (“to me”).
If you really want to emphasize I, you can say:
- A mí me gusta apoyar a mi hermana…
  – I (as opposed to others) like supporting my sister…

So:

Correct: Me gusta apoyar a mi hermana.
Emphatic: A mí me gusta apoyar a mi hermana.
Incorrect: Yo me gusta apoyar a mi hermana.