Mañana la entrenadora hará un entrenamiento menos intenso para que descansemos.

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Questions & Answers about Mañana la entrenadora hará un entrenamiento menos intenso para que descansemos.

Why is it la entrenadora and not just entrenadora or una entrenadora?

Spanish normally needs an article before a singular countable noun, even for professions.

  • la entrenadora = the coach (someone both speaker and listener already know: our coach).
  • una entrenadora = a coach (one coach, but not a specific one in the listener’s mind).
  • Just entrenadora (without any article) would be wrong here in standard Spanish. You can drop the article with professions only after the verb ser (e.g. Ella es entrenadora, She is a coach), not when you use it as a standalone subject.
Why is entrenadora feminine, but entrenamiento is masculine?

Grammatical gender in Spanish is partly logical and partly arbitrary:

  • entrenadora / entrenador is a person word, so the ending changes depending on the person’s gender:

    • la entrenadora = the (female) coach
    • el entrenador = the (male) coach
  • entrenamiento is an abstract noun (a thing, not a person). Its gender is fixed by convention:

    • el entrenamiento (always masculine), regardless of who is training.

So the coach’s gender changes the noun (entrenador/a), but the training itself (entrenamiento) is always masculine.

Why do we say hará un entrenamiento instead of using the verb entrenar, like entrenará?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

  • hará un entrenamiento menos intenso
    Literally: will do a less intense training/workout.
    This highlights the session as an event or activity.

  • entrenará menos intensamente / el entrenamiento será menos intenso
    These focus more on the act of training or describe the training itself.

In everyday speech, hacer un entrenamiento (or hacer ejercicio, hacer pesas, etc.) is very natural and common in Latin American Spanish. It sounds like “run/hold a training session” or “do a workout.”

What does the future form hará add here? Could we say va a hacer instead?

Both are fine:

  • hará un entrenamiento menos intenso
  • va a hacer un entrenamiento menos intenso

Differences:

  • hará = simple future; often feels a bit more formal or neutral and is shorter.
  • va a hacer = “going to do”; very common and sometimes sounds a bit more conversational or immediate.

In this sentence, there is no real change in meaning. Latin American speakers frequently use va a + infinitive in conversation, but hará is also completely natural.

Why is it un entrenamiento menos intenso and not un menos intenso entrenamiento?

Spanish adjective order is usually noun + adjective, not like English’s adjective + noun:

  • un entrenamiento intenso = an intense workout
  • un entrenamiento menos intenso = a less intense workout

Putting the modifier before the noun (un menos intenso entrenamiento) sounds very unnatural and almost never works with this kind of phrase. The natural structure is:

un + [noun] + menos + [adjective]
un entrenamiento menos intenso

Why doesn’t menos change form? Shouldn’t it agree like intenso / intensa / intensos / intensas?

Menos is invariable; it does not change for gender or number:

  • menos intenso, menos intensa, menos intensos, menos intensas

The adjective intenso is the word that agrees with the noun:

  • un entrenamiento menos intenso (masc. sing.)
  • unas sesiones menos intensas (fem. pl.)

So only intenso/intensa/intensos/intensas changes; menos stays exactly the same.

Why do we use para que with descansemos (subjunctive) and not para que descansamos (indicative) or just para descansar?

Para que + verb normally requires the subjunctive when it expresses purpose:

  • para que descansemos = so that we (can) rest

Using the indicative (para que descansamos) is incorrect in standard Spanish in this meaning.

Difference with para descansar:

  • para que descansemos

    • Subject of the second verb is different from the main verb’s subject.
    • There is a linking word (que), so you need the subjunctive.
    • She will do a lighter workout so that we rest.
  • para descansar

    • The implied subject is usually the same as the main subject.
    • It’s just para + infinitive, no subjunctive.
    • La entrenadora hará un entrenamiento menos intenso para descansar.
      Sounds like The coach will do a less intense workout in order to rest (she herself wants to rest), which changes the meaning.

Here, the idea is that we (the group) rest because of what the coach does, so para que + subjunctive is the natural choice.

Who does descansemos refer to exactly? Does it include the coach?

Descansemos is first person plural subjunctive of descansar, so grammatically it means “we (should) rest.”

Whether it includes the coach depends on context:

  • If the coach trains together with the group, it can include everyone: coach + team = we.
  • If she is supervising but not participating, it usually means we (the athletes), not the coach.

Spoken context or previous sentences normally make this clear. Grammatically, though, it’s just we.

Why is the time word Mañana at the beginning? Could we also say La entrenadora hará un entrenamiento menos intenso mañana?

Yes, both are correct:

  • Mañana la entrenadora hará un entrenamiento menos intenso…
  • La entrenadora hará un entrenamiento menos intenso mañana…

Common patterns:

  • Time expressions like mañana, hoy, esta tarde often appear at the beginning for emphasis or clarity about when something will happen.
  • They can also go at the end of the sentence without changing the basic meaning.

So it’s mostly a matter of style and emphasis, not grammar.

Could we say Mañana la entrenadora hará un entrenamiento menos intenso para que podamos descansar instead? What’s the difference with para que descansemos?

Yes, that’s also correct:

  • para que descansemos
  • para que podamos descansar

Differences:

  • para que descansemos

    • Shorter and more direct.
    • Focus on the state/action of resting.
  • para que podamos descansar

    • Literally: so that we can rest.
    • Emphasizes the possibility/ability (we will be able to rest).

In most everyday contexts they’re interchangeable in meaning; descansemos is just more concise.