Breakdown of Mi amiga se siente decepcionada cuando estudia poco, pero luego está satisfecha si retoma la disciplina.
Questions & Answers about Mi amiga se siente decepcionada cuando estudia poco, pero luego está satisfecha si retoma la disciplina.
Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things:
se siente decepcionada = she feels disappointed
- Emphasizes the internal feeling or perception.
- Uses the reflexive verb sentirse (to feel a certain way emotionally/physically).
está decepcionada = she is disappointed
- States her emotional state more directly, as a condition she’s in.
- Uses estar
- adjective.
In this sentence, se siente decepcionada highlights how she experiences that disappointment when she studies little. It’s very natural in Spanish to use sentirse with emotions:
- Me siento triste. – I feel sad.
- Él se siente frustrado. – He feels frustrated.
The se in se siente is a reflexive pronoun. The verb is sentirse (not just sentir) when you’re talking about how someone feels:
sentir = to feel (something):
- Siento frío. – I feel cold.
- Siento un golpe. – I feel a hit.
sentirse = to feel (a certain way / an emotion or state):
- Me siento feliz. – I feel happy.
- Ella se siente decepcionada. – She feels disappointed.
So se siente literally means she feels herself (disappointed), but in natural English it’s just she feels disappointed.
Because adjectives in Spanish must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.
- The subject is mi amiga (female, singular).
- Therefore the adjective must be feminine, singular: decepcionada.
Other forms:
- Mi amigo se siente decepcionado. – My (male) friend feels disappointed.
- Mis amigas se sienten decepcionadas. – My (female) friends feel disappointed.
- Mis amigos se sienten decepcionados. – My (male or mixed group) friends feel disappointed.
In Spanish, the present indicative is used for general, repeated, or habitual actions:
- cuando estudia poco = when she studies little / when she doesn’t study much (in general)
We only use the subjunctive (e.g. cuando estudie) with cuando if it refers to a future/unknown specific time:
Cuando estudia poco, se siente mal.
– When she studies little, she feels bad. (habit, general truth)Cuando estudie más, se sentirá mejor.
– When she studies more, she will feel better. (future time, not yet real)
In your sentence, we’re describing a typical pattern, so the present indicative estudia is correct.
They are quite different in tone:
poco = little, not much, often with a negative idea (insufficient amount):
- Estudia poco. – She studies little / She doesn’t study much. (implies a problem)
un poco = a little, a bit, often more neutral or even positive:
- Estudia un poco. – She studies a little. (just states that she studies some)
So cuando estudia poco implies she studies less than she should – it’s not enough.
If you said cuando estudia un poco, it would sound more like “when she studies a little (at least she does something)”, which weakens the idea of disappointment.
Because estar is used for temporary states or conditions, especially emotions and feelings:
- está satisfecha = she is (feels) satisfied right now / in that situation.
Using ser with this adjective (es satisfecha) is not natural here. With adjectives of emotional or physical state—contento, triste, cansado, satisfecho, etc.—Spanish normally uses estar:
- Está contenta. – She is happy (right now / in this situation).
- Está cansado. – He is tired.
- Está satisfecha. – She is satisfied.
So the pattern is: estar + adjective for these kinds of states.
This is a real or general condition, similar to the English “if/whenever” structure.
Spanish uses the present indicative in both clauses for general cause–effect patterns:
- Si retoma la disciplina, está satisfecha.
– If (whenever) she gets back to being disciplined, she’s satisfied.
General pattern:
- Si + present indicative, present indicative
- Si estudio, apruebo. – If I study, I pass.
- Si hace frío, me pongo abrigo. – If it’s cold, I put on a coat.
The present subjunctive after si is used in other structures (often with como si, as if), but not in this basic “if X, Y” pattern about real, possible situations.
Literally:
- retoma = takes up again, resumes
- la disciplina = discipline (as a general quality/behavior)
So retoma la disciplina = she resumes her discipline / she becomes disciplined again.
It’s understandable and correct, but a bit more formal/abstract. In everyday speech, many speakers might say:
- si vuelve a ser disciplinada – if she becomes disciplined again
- si vuelve a estudiar con disciplina – if she goes back to studying with discipline
- si vuelve a estudiar en serio – if she goes back to studying seriously
Your sentence is fine; it just sounds slightly more formal or “bookish” than some casual alternatives.
Yes, that’s grammatically correct and natural:
- Mi amiga está decepcionada cuando estudia poco.
Difference in nuance:
se siente decepcionada
- Slightly more focus on her inner perception of the emotion.
está decepcionada
- Presents it more as a state she is in.
In many contexts they are almost interchangeable; both would be easily understood and accepted by native speakers.
Yes, if the context already makes clear who you are talking about. Spanish often omits the subject because the verb ending shows the person:
- Se siente decepcionada cuando estudia poco, pero luego está satisfecha si retoma la disciplina.
If the previous sentence already mentioned mi amiga, you wouldn’t need to repeat it.
However, if this is the first time you mention her, it’s better to start with Mi amiga so the listener knows who the subject is.