Breakdown of La maestra de química explica el experimento con mucha paciencia.
Questions & Answers about La maestra de química explica el experimento con mucha paciencia.
In Spanish, nouns have grammatical gender. Maestra is the feminine form of maestro (teacher), so it must use the feminine article la.
- la maestra = the (female) teacher
- el maestro = the (male) teacher
The article (el / la) must agree in gender and number with the noun:
- la maestra, las maestras
- el maestro, los maestros
Both mean teacher, but usage can vary by country:
maestra / maestro
- Very common for elementary (primary) school teachers.
- Also used more generally in informal speech for schoolteachers.
profesora / profesor
- Common for middle school, high school, and university.
- Sounds a bit more formal or academic in some places.
In many Latin American countries, la maestra de química and la profesora de química could both be understood as the chemistry teacher, especially in a school context. Local preference depends on the country and region.
When you say someone is a teacher of a subject, Spanish usually omits the article:
- la maestra de química = the chemistry teacher
- el profesor de matemáticas = the math teacher
- la maestra de historia = the history teacher
Here, química is treated as a field of study, not the specific chemistry. Using de la química would sound more like of the chemistry (that we talked about) and is unusual in this job-title context.
So: with professions + subject, you normally use de + subject (no article).
Most nouns ending in -a are feminine, and química follows that pattern.
Here it can be:
- a noun: la química (chemistry, the science)
- an adjective: la maestra de química (chemistry teacher — literally “teacher of chemical/chemistry” things)
As a noun, it takes la:
- la química es difícil (chemistry is difficult)
As a subject after de, you just say de química (without the article) in this sentence.
Without the accent, quimica would be stressed on the second-to-last syllable: qui-MI-ca. But the correct pronunciation is QUI-mi-ca (stress on the first syllable):
- Written: quí–mi–ca
- Stress rule: words ending in a vowel, n, or s are normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable, unless there is a written accent.
- The accent on quí breaks this rule and forces the stress there: QUÍ-mica.
So the accent tells you where to put the stress.
Explica is:
- Verb: explicar (to explain)
- Tense: present indicative
- Person: 3rd person singular (he/she/it, or usted)
So ella explica = she explains / she is explaining.
In Spanish, the simple present often covers both English:
- She explains the experiment
- She is explaining the experiment
You only need está explicando (present progressive) when you really want to emphasize that the action is happening right now, but even then explica is very natural in many contexts.
- el experimento = the experiment (a specific experiment the speaker and listener know about)
- un experimento = an experiment (any experiment, not specified)
In this sentence, we’re talking about a particular experiment that the class is doing, so the definite article el is used.
If you wanted to say something more general, you could use un:
- La maestra de química explica un experimento interesante.
The chemistry teacher explains an interesting experiment. (not one already known)
Two separate points:
Patiencia is a noun, so you use mucho/mucha (a lot of) with it, not muy:
- mucha paciencia = a lot of patience
- muy is used with adjectives and adverbs: muy paciente, muy rápido, muy bien
Con introduces the manner: with a lot of patience.
- con mucha paciencia = with a lot of patience
So:
- mucha paciencia (correct — noun)
- muy paciencia (incorrect — muy cannot modify a noun)
Yes, that’s correct and natural:
- explica el experimento con mucha paciencia
= she explains the experiment with a lot of patience - explica el experimento pacientemente
= she explains the experiment patiently
Pacientemente is an adverb. The nuance:
- con mucha paciencia emphasizes the amount of patience.
- pacientemente describes the manner more simply, like English patiently.
Both are fine; the original just stresses that she has a lot of patience.
Yes, that’s grammatically correct:
- La maestra de química explica el experimento con mucha paciencia.
(neutral, very common order) - La maestra de química explica con mucha paciencia el experimento.
(also correct; slightly different rhythm, but same meaning)
In Spanish, you can move complements like con mucha paciencia around fairly freely, as long as the meaning stays clear. The most common place is usually after the direct object, as in the original sentence.
Mucha must agree in gender and number with the noun paciencia:
- paciencia is feminine singular → mucha paciencia
- If it were a masculine noun, it’d be mucho:
- mucho dinero (a lot of money)
- mucho trabajo (a lot of work)
Agreement rules:
- Masculine singular: mucho tiempo
- Feminine singular: mucha paciencia
- Masculine plural: muchos libros
- Feminine plural: muchas ideas
Yes, but it means something slightly different:
- Es maestra de química.
She is a chemistry teacher. (telling you her profession) - La maestra de química explica el experimento…
The chemistry teacher explains the experiment… (talking about a specific teacher in a specific situation)
So:
- With ser
- profession: normally no article in Spanish → es maestra de química.
- When you talk about the person in a specific context, you use the definite article → la maestra de química.
Yes, there is a nuance:
maestra de química
Usually means she teaches chemistry (it’s the subject she teaches).maestra en química
Often suggests she has a degree / specialization in chemistry (she is a teacher in the field of chemistry), though this is less common in everyday speech and more common in formal descriptions (like résumés or academic contexts).
In a normal school context, maestra de química is the standard way to say chemistry teacher.