Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi amiga escribe un poema cada semana y sueña con ser poeta famosa. - My friend writes a poem every week and dreams of being a famous poet.

Since the sentence talks about a female friend, it uses mi amiga. The possessive mi doesn’t change; it’s the noun (amiga) that marks the gender.

Why is there no ella at the beginning, like Ella mi amiga escribe…?

Spanish normally doesn’t use subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, etc.) when the subject is clear from the verb or context.

Here, the subject is mi amiga, so adding ella would be redundant and ungrammatical in that position. You could say:

Ella escribe un poema… (She writes a poem…) – using ella instead of mi amiga
Mi amiga escribe un poema… – using the noun phrase as the subject

But you don’t put ella and mi amiga together as a double subject.

Why is escribe (present tense) used to mean writes every week? In English we say “writes,” but isn’t there a “habitual” tense?

Spanish uses the simple present for habitual actions, just like English:

Mi amiga escribe un poema cada semana.
= My friend writes a poem every week.

The same present tense also covers:

General truths: El sol sale por el este. (The sun rises in the east.)
Actions happening now (often with context): Ahora escribe un poema. (Right now she’s writing a poem.)

There is no special “habitual tense”; present covers habits and routines.

Why is it un poema (singular) and not poemas, since she does this every week?

The sentence describes what she does each individual week:

un poema cada semana = one poem per week

If the idea were more general, you could also say:

Mi amiga escribe poemas. (My friend writes poems.)

But that doesn’t say how often or how many.
un poema cada semana is more specific: it’s a regular “quota” of one poem each week.

Can I say cada semana escribe un poema instead of escribe un poema cada semana?

Yes. Both are correct:

Mi amiga escribe un poema cada semana.
Mi amiga cada semana escribe un poema.
Cada semana mi amiga escribe un poema.

All are natural. The most neutral and common is probably the original word order. Changing the position of cada semana just shifts the emphasis a bit, but the meaning is basically the same.

What’s the difference between cada semana and todas las semanas?

In everyday speech they’re very similar:

cada semana = every week
todas las semanas = all the weeks / every week

In this sentence you can say:

Mi amiga escribe un poema cada semana.
Mi amiga escribe un poema todas las semanas.

Both sound natural in Latin American Spanish. cada semana is a bit more concise; todas las semanas is slightly more emphatic (“every single week”).

Why do you say sueña con ser and not sueña ser or sueña en ser?

With soñar (to dream) in Spanish, when you talk about what someone dreams of doing or being, you normally use:

soñar con + infinitive
→ sueña con ser poeta famosa = she dreams of being a famous poet

Common patterns:

Sueño con viajar. (I dream of traveling.)
Sueñas con tener tu propia casa. (You dream of having your own house.)

sueña ser or sueña en ser sound wrong or very unnatural in this context. The standard structure is soñar con + infinitive.

Why is it poeta famosa and not una poeta famosa?

After the verb ser, when you talk about profession, occupation, or status, Spanish usually drops the article:

Es poeta. (She is a poet.)
Es médica. (She is a doctor.)

So:

sueña con ser poeta famosa
literally: “she dreams of being famous poet”
meaning: “she dreams of being a famous poet”

If you add the article (una poeta famosa), it’s not wrong, but it sounds more specific or emphatic, like “one particular famous poet” or stylistically heavier. The most natural, neutral form is ser + profession without an article.

Is poeta masculine or feminine? Why is it poeta famosa if poeta ends in -a?

poeta is a bit special. Traditionally:

The base form was treated as masculine: el poeta (the poet – male)
For a woman: la poeta (the poet – female)

The noun poeta itself doesn’t change, but the article and adjectives show the gender:

el poeta famoso (the famous [male] poet)
la poeta famosa (the famous [female] poet)

In the sentence:

poeta = the profession
famosa = feminine adjective, agreeing with amiga (a woman)

So: mi amiga (female) → poeta famosa (feminine adjective).

Why not use poetisa instead of poeta for a woman?

poetisa exists and means “female poet,” but in modern usage, especially in many Latin American contexts:

poeta is often used for both men and women
poetisa can sound old-fashioned or even slightly condescending to some speakers

So saying ser poeta famosa is very natural today and is often preferred as a more neutral, professional term.

Why is the adjective after the noun: poeta famosa instead of famosa poeta?

In Spanish, adjectives usually go after the noun:

poeta famosa (famous poet)
casa grande (big house)
libro interesante (interesting book)

You can put some adjectives before the noun, but that often adds a special nuance, emphasis, or a more literary tone:

una famosa poeta can sound a bit more stylistic or “poetic,” like “a well-known poet”

In everyday, neutral speech, poeta famosa (noun + adjective) is the standard order.

If the friend were male, how would the sentence change?

You’d change the parts that show gender:

Mi amiga → Mi amigo (female friend → male friend)
poeta famosa → poeta famoso (feminine adjective → masculine adjective)

So the full sentence would be:

Mi amigo escribe un poema cada semana y sueña con ser poeta famoso.
(My [male] friend writes a poem every week and dreams of being a famous poet.)