Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): En mi familia hablamos de un triángulo de apoyo: amigos, familia y profesionales como la terapeuta. - In my family we talk about a triangle of support: friends, family and professionals like the therapist.

hablamos clearly tells you the subject is we (first person plural).
nosotros hablamos is also correct, but it’s normally used only for emphasis or contrast, for example:
- Nosotros hablamos de un triángulo de apoyo, pero ellos no.
  We talk about a support triangle, but they don’t.

So En mi familia hablamos… is the most natural, neutral way to say In my family we talk….

Is en mi familia hablamos grammatically strange? Shouldn’t familia make the verb singular?

No, it’s correct as written. The key is:

En mi familia is a prepositional phrase, not the grammatical subject.
The subject is the implied nosotros (we), which is why the verb is hablamos (first person plural).

So the structure is:

En mi familia = in my family (context)
(nosotros) hablamos = we talk

You could also say:

En mi familia, nosotros hablamos… (more emphatic)
Mi familia habla de un triángulo de apoyo.
Here mi familia is the subject, so the verb becomes habla (third person singular).

Why is it hablamos de un triángulo and not hablamos un triángulo?

The verb hablar usually needs a preposition to introduce the topic:

hablar de algo = to talk about something
hablar sobre algo = to talk about / regarding something (very similar meaning)

So:

Hablamos de un triángulo de apoyo.
= We talk about a triangle of support.

Using hablar with a direct object (no preposition), like hablamos un triángulo, is not idiomatic Spanish in this sense; it would sound wrong.

Could you also say hablamos sobre un triángulo de apoyo instead of de? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

En mi familia hablamos sobre un triángulo de apoyo.

In most everyday contexts, hablar de and hablar sobre are very close in meaning: to talk about.

Subtle nuance:

hablar de is the most common, neutral option.
hablar sobre can sometimes sound a bit more formal or analytical, like discuss regarding / on the subject of, but in daily speech the difference is small.

Both are correct here.

What exactly does de apoyo mean? Why de and not para?

De apoyo is a very common noun + de + noun structure in Spanish, where the second noun describes the type or function of the first one.

un triángulo de apoyo
literally: a triangle of support
naturally in English: a support triangle / triangle of support

Here de indicates a characteristic or purpose. Spanish often uses de where English might use:

a noun modifier: support triangle
of: triangle of support
for: triangle for support

You could say triángulo para apoyo, but it sounds more like a triangle for the purpose of providing support, and is less idiomatic as a set expression. de apoyo is smoother and more natural.

Why is there a colon after apoyo: …de apoyo: amigos, familia y profesionales…?

The colon : in Spanish works much like in English. It’s used to introduce:

an explanation
a list
a clarification, summary, or example

Here, un triángulo de apoyo is explained or broken down into its three parts:

…un triángulo de apoyo: amigos, familia y profesionales…
= …a triangle of support: friends, family, and professionals…

Punctuation detail:

In Spanish, you do not put a space before the colon.
You do put one space after it, as in the example sentence.

Why is triángulo written with an accent on the a?

Spanish accent marks show where the stress falls when it doesn’t follow the normal rules.

Basic rule relevant here:

Words ending in a vowel, n, or s are usually stressed on the second-to-last syllable.

triángulo is divided as:

tri-án-gu-lo → tri-ÁN-gu-lo

Without the accent, the default stress would be trian-GU-lo (on gu), which is wrong. The accent on á forces the stress to fall on that syllable:

triÁNgulo

So the written accent is necessary to mark the correct pronunciation.

Is it okay style-wise to repeat familia: En mi familia… amigos, familia y profesionales?

Yes, this repetition is natural and meaningful.

En mi familia: sets the context – in my family / in our family culture.
familia in the list: names one corner of the triangle (family as a type of support, alongside friends and professionals).

So the first familia is “my own family unit” as the speaker’s environment; the second familia is “family” as one element of the support system. The repetition doesn’t sound awkward in Spanish.

Why is profesionales plural, but la terapeuta is singular?

The phrase behaves like this:

profesionales como la terapeuta
= professionals such as the therapist

Here’s what’s happening:

profesionales is plural: “professionals” in general.
como introduces an example of that group.
la terapeuta is one specific professional, given as a concrete example.

This pattern is very common:

Animales como el perro y el gato.
Animals such as the dog and the cat.
Músicos como la directora de la orquesta.
Musicians such as the orchestra conductor.

So the singular after como is completely normal.

Why is it la terapeuta and not el terapeuta or just terapeuta?

The article tells you gender and definiteness.

la terapeuta
- la = feminine singular article → the therapist is a woman.
- It’s definite: someone specific, probably known to the speaker (and often to the listener).
el terapeuta
- el = masculine singular → a male therapist.
terapeuta with no article could appear in other structures, but here you need an article because you’re referring to a specific role/person in that family’s support system. Without the article it would sound incomplete:
- profesionales como terapeuta (wrong / unnatural in this sentence)

If you wanted to keep it general, you could say:

…profesionales como terapeutas o consejeros.
…professionals such as therapists or counselors.

Is terapeuta always feminine because it ends in -a? How do you talk about a male therapist?

terapeuta is one of those common-gender nouns:

The form (terapeuta) is the same for men and women.
The article and adjectives show the gender.

Examples:

la terapeuta = the (female) therapist
el terapeuta = the (male) therapist
mi terapeuta es muy buena. (female)
mi terapeuta es muy bueno. (male)

So the word ending in -a does not automatically make it feminine; the article (el / la) tells you.

What does como mean in profesionales como la terapeuta? Is it “like” or “as”?

Here como means “such as / like” in the sense of giving an example:

profesionales como la terapeuta
= professionals such as the therapist / professionals like the therapist

In this usage:

como introduces examples or comparisons:
- Comemos mucha fruta, como manzanas y peras.
  We eat a lot of fruit, such as apples and pears.

It does not mean “because” or “since” here; it is only functioning as “like / such as”.

Why is it un triángulo de apoyo (indefinite) and not el triángulo de apoyo (definite)?

Using un introduces the idea as one type of triangle / one concept rather than the one and only triangle:

un triángulo de apoyo
= a triangle of support → presenting the concept, almost like introducing a model.
el triángulo de apoyo
= the triangle of support → would suggest a specific, previously known concept, maybe a famous model that both speaker and listener already recognize.

In this context, the speaker is explaining their own way of thinking in the family, so un is more natural: “we talk about a (certain) triangle of support…”

Why is hablamos (simple present) used to express a general habit? Is that normal in Spanish?

Yes, that’s exactly how Spanish normally expresses habits and general truths.

En mi familia hablamos de un triángulo de apoyo.
= In my family we (generally / usually) talk about a triangle of support.

The simple present in Spanish covers:

current actions
- Hablamos ahora. – We’re talking now.
habitual actions
- Siempre hablamos de esto. – We always talk about this.
general truths
- El agua hierve a 100 grados. – Water boils at 100 degrees.

You don’t need an equivalent of the English “we tend to talk” or “we usually talk” unless you want to add extra nuance (solemos hablar, normalmente hablamos, etc.).

Why is it En mi familia with en instead of con mi familia or en nuestra familia?

All three are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

En mi familia hablamos…
Literally “In my family we talk…”.
This is the most common way to talk about family culture / habits:
- In my family we do X. In my family we believe Y.
Con mi familia hablamos…
Literally “With my family we talk…”.
Suggests you are together with your family when you talk about it, more about the situation than the family culture.
En nuestra familia hablamos…
Same meaning as En mi familia, but nuestra explicitly includes the listener or emphasizes shared belonging (“our family”).

The original En mi familia is the standard, natural choice to talk about typical patterns inside your own family.

Could the list be amigos, la familia y los profesionales instead of amigos, familia y profesionales?

Grammatically, yes, but the style changes:

amigos, familia y profesionales
- Very typical, “bare” plural for categories.
- Sounds general and natural: three types of support.
amigos, la familia y los profesionales
- Adds articles, which can make it sound:
  - more specific (the family, the professionals we know), or
  - slightly heavier / more formal in this short list.

In short, the version without articles in the list (amigos, familia y profesionales) is smoother and more idiomatic here when you’re naming broad categories.