Word
La terapeuta dice que aprender a cuidarse es como un maratón, no una carrera corta.
Meaning
The therapist says that learning to take care of yourself is like a marathon, not a short race.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Lesson
Breakdown of La terapeuta dice que aprender a cuidarse es como un maratón, no una carrera corta.
ser
to be
aprender
to learn
que
that
a
to
Questions & Answers about La terapeuta dice que aprender a cuidarse es como un maratón, no una carrera corta.
Why is it la terapeuta and not el terapeuta? Does terapeuta change with gender?
In Spanish, terapeuta is a common-gender noun: the noun itself doesn’t change, only the article (and any adjectives) show the gender.
- la terapeuta = the therapist (female)
- el terapeuta = the therapist (male)
So terapeuta is the same form for both genders; the article (el / la) tells you whether the therapist is a woman or a man in this sentence.
Why is the verb dice (present) used instead of a past form like dijo (“said”)?
Spanish often uses the present tense to report what someone says or thinks when it’s:
- A general statement, or
- Something the person still believes or habitually says
So La terapeuta dice que… can be understood as:
- “The therapist says that…”
- “The therapist (always) says that…”
- “The therapist (is saying / tells me) that…”
If the speaker wanted to talk about a specific past moment, they could use dijo:
- La terapeuta dijo que aprender a cuidarse es como un maratón.
“The therapist said that learning to take care of yourself is like a marathon.”
Both are correct; it depends on whether you’re emphasizing a current/general truth (dice) or a past event (dijo).
Why is it aprender a cuidarse and not just aprender cuidarse?