Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Ella quiere dejar de traducir todo al inglés, porque sabe que así practica menos. - She wants to stop translating everything into English, because she knows that way she practices less.

to leave something somewhere: Dejo las llaves en la mesa (I leave the keys on the table).
to allow/let: Mis padres me dejan salir (My parents let me go out).

When you want to say to stop doing something, Spanish uses dejar de + infinitive:

dejar de fumar – to stop smoking
dejar de traducir – to stop translating

So Ella quiere dejar de traducir… literally means She wants to stop translating…, not She wants to leave translate…

Why is it de traducir and not something like de traduciendo?

After a preposition in Spanish (like de, a, por, para, etc.), you must use the infinitive (traducir), not the gerund (traduciendo) or a conjugated form.

Examples:

Antes de comer, lavo las manos. (Before eating, I wash my hands.)
Después de estudiar, salgo. (After studying, I go out.)
Quiere dejar de traducir. (She wants to stop translating.)

So de traducir is the correct form after dejar de.

Why is it traducir todo al inglés and not traducir todo en inglés?

With traducir, Spanish normally uses a + [language] to mean “into [language]”:

traducir al inglés – to translate into English
traducir al español – to translate into Spanish

En inglés means “in English” (the language you’re using), not the target of a translation:

El libro está en inglés – The book is in English.
Lo voy a traducir al inglés – I’m going to translate it into English.

So traducir todo al inglés = “translate everything into English.”
Traducir todo en inglés would sound off here.

Why is it al inglés and not a inglés?

Al is the contraction of a + el:

a + el inglés → al inglés

In this structure with traducir, Spanish uses the definite article el in front of the language:

traducir al inglés
traducir al español
traducir al francés

Using a inglés (without el) is not correct in standard Spanish in this context.

Do we actually need Ella here? Could we just say Quiere dejar de traducir…?

Yes, you can omit Ella:

Quiere dejar de traducir todo al inglés…

Spanish is a “null-subject” language: the subject pronoun is often dropped because the verb ending (quiere) already tells you it’s she / he / it / usted.

Using Ella can:

clarify who you’re talking about if it might be ambiguous, or
add slight emphasis: Ella (as opposed to someone else) wants to stop.

Both versions are grammatically correct.

What is the difference between porque and por qué, and why is it porque here?

porque (one word, no accent) = because
por qué (two words, with accent) = why

Examples:

No estudia *porque está cansada.* – She doesn’t study because she’s tired.
¿*Por qué no estudia?* – Why doesn’t she study?

In the sentence:

…porque sabe que así practica menos.

we are giving a reason (“because she knows…”), so we use porque.

Why is it sabe and not conoce: what’s the difference between saber and conocer?

Both mean to know, but they’re used differently:

saber = to know facts, information, or how to do something
- Sabe que practica menos. – She knows (that) she practices less.
- Sé hablar español. – I know how to speak Spanish.
conocer = to know / be familiar with people, places, or things
- Conozco a María. – I know María.
- Conocemos México. – We know / are familiar with Mexico.

Since she knows a fact (“that she practices less”), sabe is correct: porque sabe que así practica menos.

Why is it sabe que… practica menos and not something like sabe de que… or sabe lo que…?

The verb saber when followed by a clause uses que, not de que:

sabe que practica menos – she knows (that) she practices less

Using de que here (sabe de que…) is considered incorrect in standard Spanish (this mistake is called dequeísmo).

Lo que would change the meaning:

sabe lo que practica – she knows what she practices (different idea)

So sabe que… is the correct pattern for “knows that…”

Why is it practica and not practique (the subjunctive) after sabe que?

After saber que, Spanish normally uses the indicative, because we’re talking about something presented as a fact:

Sé que tienes razón. – I know (that) you’re right.
Sabemos que es difícil. – We know (that) it’s difficult.
Sabe que así practica menos. – She knows (that) this way she practices less.

The subjunctive (practique) is used when there is doubt, emotion, desire, etc., not a known fact. For example:

Dudo que practique mucho. – I doubt she practices a lot.

Here, it’s not doubt; it’s something she believes to be true, so practica (indicative) is correct.

What exactly does así mean here, and could we say something else instead?

Así means “like this / like that / this way / that way” depending on context.

In porque sabe que así practica menos, it means:

“because she knows that this way she practices less”, i.e., by translating everything into English, she practices less Spanish.

You could replace así with a more explicit phrase:

porque sabe que de esa manera practica menos – because she knows that in that way she practices less.

But así is the most natural and concise word here.

Can we change the word order así practica menos to something like practica menos así?

The most natural order in Spanish here is:

así practica menos – “this way, she practices less.”

Other orders:

practica menos así – possible but sounds less natural and can feel a bit marked/emphatic, depending on intonation.
practica así menos – unusual and awkward.

Placing así at the beginning works well because it links back to the previous idea (“translating everything into English”) and presents it as the manner in which she practices less.

Why is it todo and not something like todas las cosas?

Todo here is a pronoun meaning everything:

traducir todo al inglés – to translate everything into English.

Saying todas las cosas (to translate all the things into English) is grammatically possible but sounds heavier and less natural in most contexts.

Spanish often prefers todo over a literal “all the things” when the meaning is general:

Lo quiero saber todo – I want to know everything.
Traduce *todo al inglés.* – He/She translates everything into English.

So todo is the normal, idiomatic choice.