Mi psicóloga dice que una respiración profunda puede cambiar mi estado emocional en pocos minutos.

My psychologist says that deep breathing can change my emotional state in a few minutes.

Breakdown of Mi psicóloga dice que una respiración profunda puede cambiar mi estado emocional en pocos minutos.

• en: in
• mi: my
• que: that
• decir: to say
• poder: to be able
• el minuto: the minute
• una: a
• cambiar: to change
• profundo: deep
• el estado: the state
• pocos: a few
• la psicóloga: the psychologist
• la respiración: the breathing
• emocional: emotional

Questions & Answers about Mi psicóloga dice que una respiración profunda puede cambiar mi estado emocional en pocos minutos.

Why is it mi psicóloga and not mi psicólogo?

In Spanish, many job titles change ending depending on the person’s gender:

• psicólogo = male psychologist
• psicóloga = female psychologist

So mi psicóloga tells us the psychologist is a woman. If it were a man, you’d say mi psicólogo.

In Latin America, this kind of gender agreement with professions is very normal and widespread.

What exactly does dice que mean, and why do we need que there?

dice que literally is (she) says that.

In Spanish, when you report what someone says, thinks, believes, etc., you almost always need que:

• Ella dice que está cansada. = She says (that) she is tired.
• Creo que es verdad. = I think (that) it’s true.

Leaving que out (Mi psicóloga dice una respiración profunda…) is not correct here. You need que to introduce the clause una respiración profunda puede cambiar…

Why is it puede cambiar instead of just cambia?

puede cambiar = can change / is able to change
cambia = changes

Using poder + infinitive (puede cambiar) emphasizes capability or possibility:

• Una respiración profunda puede cambiar mi estado emocional…
  = A deep breath can change my emotional state…

If you said:

• Una respiración profunda cambia mi estado emocional…

it sounds more like a general rule or habitual fact: A deep breath changes my emotional state (that’s just what it does). Both are grammatically fine, but the original emphasizes the ability of a deep breath to cause change.

Why do we use indicative puede and not subjunctive pueda after dice que?

puede is indicative; pueda is subjunctive.

After dice que, you normally use:

• indicative (like puede) when you are reporting what someone says as a statement or fact:
  Mi psicóloga dice que una respiración profunda puede cambiar…
  = She says that a deep breath can change…

• subjunctive when decir is used as a command or request:
  Mi psicóloga dice que cambie mi respiración.
  = My psychologist tells me to change my breathing.

Here, she is stating a general principle, not ordering anything, so the indicative puede is correct.

What’s the difference between una respiración profunda, un respiro profundo, and respirar profundamente?

All relate to breathing, but they’re used a bit differently:

• una respiración profunda

  • Literally: a deep breathing / a deep breath
  • Slightly more technical/neutral; common in medical or psychological contexts.
  • Focuses on the act or process of taking a deep breath.

• un respiro profundo

  • Also a deep breath, but respiro feels a bit more informal and concrete.
  • You’re picturing that single breath more than the process.

• respirar profundamente

  • to breathe deeply
  • Verb phrase, not a noun phrase. Used when you want to tell someone what to do:
    Tienes que respirar profundamente. = You have to breathe deeply.

In your sentence, una respiración profunda fits well with the more technical, psychological style.

Why does the adjective profunda come after respiración, not before, like in English (deep breath)?

Default Spanish order is noun + adjective:

• respiración profunda = deep breath
• casa grande = big house
• problema serio = serious problem

Adjectives can sometimes go before the noun, but that usually adds extra nuance (emotional, poetic, or a slightly different meaning). Here, una profunda respiración is possible, but it sounds more literary or dramatic. The neutral everyday choice is una respiración profunda.

Why do we say mi estado emocional instead of just estado emocional?

In Spanish, singular countable nouns normally need some kind of determiner: mi, tu, el, un, etc. Saying just estado emocional (with nothing before it) sounds incomplete.

• mi estado emocional = my emotional state
• el estado emocional = the emotional state
• su estado emocional = his/her/their emotional state

Because we’re clearly talking about the speaker’s own emotions, mi estado emocional is the natural choice.

Could we say mi ánimo instead of mi estado emocional? What’s the difference?

You could, but the meaning shifts a bit:

• mi estado emocional

  • Literally my emotional state
  • Sounds more technical / psychological, more formal.

• mi ánimo

  • More like my mood / my spirits
  • Everyday, less technical term.

So:

• Una respiración profunda puede cambiar mi estado emocional…
  sounds like something a psychologist or therapist would say.

• Una respiración profunda puede cambiar mi ánimo…
  sounds more casual: A deep breath can change my mood.

Why is it en pocos minutos and not por pocos minutos or dentro de pocos minutos?

These prepositions express different ideas:

• en pocos minutos

  • The time it takes for the change to happen.
  • = in a few minutes / within a few minutes (duration needed for the result).

• por pocos minutos

  • Duration for which something lasts.
  • = for a few minutes (how long it continues), e.g.
    Estuve triste por pocos minutos. = I was sad for a few minutes.

• dentro de pocos minutos

  • Time until something starts.
  • = in a few minutes (from now), e.g.
    La sesión empieza dentro de pocos minutos. = The session starts in a few minutes.

In your sentence we care about how quickly the breath can change your state, so en pocos minutos is the right choice.

Does pocos minutos mean “a few minutes” or “few minutes” (almost none)? How does pocos compare with unos pocos or unos?

Nuance:

• pocos minutos

  • Often implies “not many minutes,” a bit on the small side.
  • In positive sentences like yours, it’s usually understood as a few minutes, but with a sense that it’s impressively quick.

• unos minutos

  • Neutral a few minutes / some minutes, without the “small amount” feeling.

• unos pocos minutos

  • Clearly a few minutes, emphasizing that it’s only a small number, but not as “negative” as pocos alone can be.

Here, en pocos minutos nicely emphasizes that the time needed is small: it can change your emotional state in just a few minutes.

Could we also say Mi psicóloga dijo que…? What’s the difference from Mi psicóloga dice que…?

Yes, both are correct but the tense changes the meaning:

• Mi psicóloga dice que… (present)

  • She says this in general; it’s something she regularly says or believes.
  • Feels like a general rule or current advice.

• Mi psicóloga dijo que… (preterite / simple past)

  • She said this on a specific occasion in the past.
  • Refers to one particular moment or session.

So choose based on whether you want a general, still-valid statement (dice) or one past remark (dijo).

How do you pronounce psicóloga, and why is there an accent mark?

Pronunciation (Latin American):

• psicóloga = [see-KO-lo-ga]
  
  • The p is silent, so it starts with an s sound.
  • Stress is on KO: psi-*KO-lo-ga*.

About the accent mark:

• Without the accent it would be psicologa, and by default the stress would fall on lo (psi-co-LO-ga).
• The written accent on ó (psicóloga) forces the stress onto -có-, which is how the word is actually pronounced.

So the accent mark is there to show you where the stress goes.