Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Cuando priorizamos bien, la prioridad principal queda clara y nos sentimos más tranquilos. - When we prioritize well, the main priority becomes clear and we feel calmer.

priorizamos is the nosotros form of the verb priorizar in the present tense.
Because that ending already shows it means we prioritize, you normally do not need to say nosotros.

You could say:

Cuando nosotros priorizamos bien…

but it sounds more emphatic, like you’re stressing we (as opposed to others). In neutral, everyday speech in Latin America, people usually just say Cuando priorizamos bien… without nosotros.

Why is it cuando priorizamos (present tense) and not cuando prioricemos (subjunctive)?

The choice between cuando + indicative and cuando + subjunctive depends on the type of situation:

Present indicative (priorizamos)
Used for:
- general truths
- habits
- things that are seen as real/typical whenever they happen
Here, the sentence is stating a general rule:
- Cuando priorizamos bien, la prioridad principal queda clara…
  = Whenever we prioritize well, the main priority becomes clear…
This is about what usually happens in that situation, so the indicative is correct.
Present subjunctive (prioricemos)
Used when:
- you’re talking about a specific future situation that hasn’t happened yet
- or giving instructions / plans about the future
Example:
- Cuando prioricemos bien el próximo año, la empresa va a crecer.
  When we prioritize well next year, the company is going to grow.

So in your sentence, because it expresses a general principle, cuando priorizamos (indicative) is the natural choice.

What exactly does bien mean in cuando priorizamos bien? Could I say correctamente instead?

Here bien is an adverb modifying the verb priorizamos. It means well / in a good way / properly.

Cuando priorizamos bien…
= When we prioritize well / properly…

You could say:

Cuando priorizamos correctamente…

This is grammatically fine. Nuance:

bien sounds very natural and neutral in casual and formal speech.
correctamente sounds a little more formal, technical, or “by the book.”

In everyday Latin American Spanish, bien is usually preferred here.

Isn’t la prioridad principal redundant? Why not just say la prioridad?

It’s a bit redundant literally (like saying the main priority priority), but in real usage it works as emphasis.

la prioridad already means “the priority”
la prioridad principal adds the idea of:
- the top priority
- the most important priority
- the one that comes before the others

Alternatives that avoid the slight redundancy:

la prioridad más importante
la prioridad número uno
la principal prioridad

All are acceptable. la prioridad principal is very common and idiomatic, especially in business or productivity contexts.

Why is it la prioridad principal queda clara and not es clara or está clara?

The verb quedar here adds the idea of a result: “ends up being / turns out / becomes clear.”

queda clara ≈ ends up clear / becomes clear / is left clear

Nuances:

es clara
Focuses on a permanent characteristic:
- La prioridad principal es clara.
  The main priority is clear (it’s inherently clear, maybe from the beginning).
está clara
Focuses on a current state:
- La prioridad principal está clara.
  Right now, the main priority is clear.
queda clara
Focuses on the result of an action or process:
- Cuando priorizamos bien, la prioridad principal queda clara.
  When we go through the process of prioritizing well, as a result the main priority becomes clear.

So queda fits perfectly because the clarity is the result of prioritizing well.

Why is it clara and not claro in queda clara?

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

prioridad is a feminine singular noun:
- la prioridad
Therefore the adjective must also be feminine singular:
- clara

So:

La prioridad principal queda clara. ✅
La prioridad principal queda claro. ❌ (wrong agreement)

If the noun were masculine, the adjective would be masculine:

El objetivo principal queda claro.
(objetivo is masculine, so claro)

In nos sentimos más tranquilos, why is sentimos reflexive (nos sentimos) instead of just sentimos?

Spanish makes a distinction between sentir and sentirse.

sentir (no reflexive) = to feel something (a noun)
- Sentimos miedo.
  We feel fear.
- Siento un dolor en la espalda.
  I feel a pain in my back.
sentirse (reflexive) = to feel a certain way (adjective/adverb)
- Nos sentimos más tranquilos.
  We feel calmer.
- Me siento bien.
  I feel good.
- Se siente cansado.
  He feels tired.

In your sentence, más tranquilos is an adjective describing how we feel, so the reflexive nos sentimos is required.

Why is tranquilos plural and masculine? What if the group is all women?

tranquilos agrees with the subject nosotros (implied by priorizamos / nos sentimos).

nosotros = we (masculine or mixed group)
nosotras = we (all women)

Agreement rules:

If the group is mixed or assumed mixed/unknown, Spanish uses the masculine plural:
- Nos sentimos más tranquilos.
  (default form, used unless the group is clearly all female)
If the group is all women, you would usually say:
- Nosotras nos sentimos más tranquilas.

So:

tranquilos → masculine plural
tranquilas → feminine plural

The sentence as written assumes the generic or mixed we, which in traditional grammar defaults to the masculine plural.

Could I say más calmados instead of más tranquilos? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say más calmados. Both are correct and commonly used.

tranquilo:
- calm, peaceful, at ease, not worried
- can refer to emotional calm and general peacefulness
calmado:
- calm, not agitated
- can sound a bit more like “no longer upset/agitated” in some contexts

In this sentence:

nos sentimos más tranquilos
suggests feeling calmer, more at peace, less stressed.
nos sentimos más calmados
is very similar, perhaps with a slightly stronger focus on reduced agitation.

In everyday Latin American Spanish, both are fine; tranquilos may sound a bit more natural in a general “less stressed, more at ease” context.

Why is there a comma after Cuando priorizamos bien? Is it required?

Yes, it’s standard to place a comma after an initial cuando clause when it comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Structure:

Cuando priorizamos bien,
la prioridad principal queda clara y nos sentimos más tranquilos.

General rule:

If a dependent clause (like one introduced by cuando) comes before the main clause, you normally use a comma.
If it comes after the main clause, you usually don’t use a comma:
- La prioridad principal queda clara y nos sentimos más tranquilos cuando priorizamos bien.

So the comma here is not random; it follows standard punctuation rules and helps the reader see the two parts of the sentence clearly.

Why is it más tranquilos (comparative) instead of just tranquilos?

más tranquilos means calmer / more at ease, indicating a change compared to before.

nos sentimos tranquilos
We feel calm.
nos sentimos más tranquilos
We feel calmer than before / more calm than we used to.

The idea of the sentence is:

After prioritizing well, our emotional state improves.
So más signals that our level of calm increases as a result of good prioritization.

You could say nos sentimos tranquilos, but that would simply describe a state, not emphasize the improvement. The original sentence clearly points to a positive change.

Can cuando priorizamos bien… be understood as a general “you” or “people” (like English “when you prioritize well”)?

Yes. In Spanish, nosotros can be used in a fairly inclusive, general way, especially in this kind of advice or reflection.

Cuando priorizamos bien…
Literally: When we prioritize well…
Pragmatically: Often understood as:
- When we (people in general) prioritize well…
- When you / all of us prioritize well…

Spanish often uses:

nosotros (explicit or implied) to include speaker + others,
or uno / la gente for a generic “one” / “people”.

In motivational or self-help style language, the inclusive we (nosotros) is very common, and it can feel similar to an English general you in this context.