Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Prefiero hablar directamente con la maestra sobre la lección. - I prefer to speak directly with the teacher about the lesson.

Prefiero already tells us it’s I prefer.
Yo prefiero hablar… is also correct; it just sounds a bit more emphatic, like “I prefer (as opposed to someone else)” or “I personally prefer.”

So:

Prefiero hablar directamente con la maestra… = neutral, normal.
Yo prefiero hablar directamente con la maestra… = I prefer (adding emphasis or contrast).

Why is hablar in the infinitive and not conjugated, like hablo?

In Spanish, after verbs of preference, desire, or intention (like querer, preferir, necesitar, poder), you normally use the infinitive for the second verb.

Prefiero hablar… = I prefer to speak…
Literally: I-prefer to-speak directly with the teacher about the lesson.

You would not say “Prefiero hablo”; that’s incorrect.
The pattern is: Prefiero + infinitive (hablar, comer, salir, etc.).

What kind of verb is prefiero? How is preferir conjugated?

Prefiero is the first person singular (yo) present tense of preferir.

Preferir is a stem‑changing (e → ie) verb:

yo prefiero
tú prefieres
él / ella / usted prefiere
nosotros / nosotras preferimos (no stem change)
ustedes / ellos / ellas prefieren

So prefiero = I prefer.

Can I move directamente? For example, can I say Prefiero hablar con la maestra directamente?

Yes. Both are correct:

Prefiero hablar directamente con la maestra…
Prefiero hablar con la maestra directamente…

Spanish adverbs like directamente are quite flexible in position.
The meaning is basically the same: I prefer to speak directly with the teacher…

Other possible positions:

Directamente prefiero hablar con la maestra… (less common, a bit more marked or stylistic)
Prefiero directamente hablar con la maestra… (possible, but sounds a bit less natural than the first two).

Why is it hablar con la maestra and not hablar a la maestra?

In Spanish, when you mean “to talk with someone / have a conversation with someone,” you almost always use hablar con:

Hablar con la maestra = to talk with the teacher (two-way interaction).

Hablar a focuses more on speaking to someone (one-way direction), and is less common in normal conversation. You might see hablarle a alguien in contexts like “speaking to” or “addressing” someone, but for everyday “talk to / with someone,” hablar con is the default.

Why do we use sobre in sobre la lección instead of de?

Both sobre and de can be used to talk about a topic, but sobre often feels a bit more specific or “about this subject”:

Hablar sobre la lección = to talk about the lesson (as a topic).
Hablar de la lección = also to talk about the lesson, and is very common too.

In this sentence, sobre just highlights that the lesson is the subject of the conversation. You could say:

Prefiero hablar directamente con la maestra sobre la lección.
Prefiero hablar directamente con la maestra de la lección.

Both are fine; sobre often sounds a bit more formal or topic-focused, like “regarding the lesson.”

Why is it la maestra and not mi maestra or just maestra?

Spanish uses definite articles (el, la, los, las) more than English does, especially for known people in a shared context.

La maestra here likely refers to “the (particular) teacher” both speaker and listener know (for example, the teacher of that class).
English often drops the article: “talk to the teacher” vs “talk to teacher” – Spanish almost always needs it: la maestra.

You could say:

mi maestra = my teacher, if you want to stress that the teacher is specifically your teacher.
Just maestra alone usually sounds like direct address (Maestra, ¿puedo hacerle una pregunta?) or like a job title being used vocatively, not as an object.

So in this sentence, la maestra is the natural choice for “the teacher.”

What’s the difference between maestra and profesora in Latin America?

Usage varies by country, but in much of Latin America:

Maestra / maestro:
Often used for teachers in preschool and elementary school, and very commonly used as a form of address:
Maestra, tengo una duda.
Profesora / profesor:
More commonly used for middle school, high school, and university teachers, or in more formal contexts.

In many regions (for example, Mexico), maestra is extremely common and respectful, even for higher levels in everyday speech.

In Spain, profesora is more common than maestra for most teaching contexts (except early childhood education). But since you’re focusing on Latin America, maestra fits very naturally.

Could this sentence also use clase instead of lección? What’s the difference between la lección and la clase?

Yes, you could say la clase, but the nuance changes slightly:

la lección:
More like the lesson / the specific content or part of the material. It highlights the topic or section of what was taught.
la clase:
Can mean the class session (the period) or the course in general.

So:

Prefiero hablar… sobre la lección. = I want to discuss the specific lesson / material.
Prefiero hablar… sobre la clase. = could mean about how the class is going, the class in general, or what happened in class, depending on context.

Both are correct; you choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Is Prefiero… too direct or impolite? How could I say this more politely?

Prefiero… is not rude; it’s a normal way to express preference. But if you want to be more polite or softer, especially when talking about what you’d like to do, you can use:

Me gustaría hablar directamente con la maestra sobre la lección.
= I would like to talk directly with the teacher about the lesson.
Quisiera hablar directamente con la maestra sobre la lección.
= I’d like / I would like to talk… (sounds quite polite and formal).

These versions make the request sound less like a firm preference and more like a courteous wish.

Could I say Prefiero hablar directo con la maestra instead of directamente?

In many parts of Latin America, people do say directo in an adverbial way in everyday speech:

Prefiero hablar directo con la maestra.

This is normal in informal conversation and will be understood as “speak directly.”
However, directamente is the standard adverb and is always correct, including in writing and formal contexts.

So:

directo = more colloquial, especially in speech.
directamente = neutral, correct, and works everywhere.

Can I change the word order more, like Directamente prefiero hablar con la maestra sobre la lección?

Yes, but it changes the emphasis:

Prefiero hablar directamente con la maestra… (most neutral).
Directamente prefiero hablar con la maestra… puts directamente first, giving it more emphasis, like:
“Quite frankly / directly, I prefer to talk with the teacher about the lesson.”

It’s grammatically correct, but sounds more stylistic or rhetorical. For everyday use, the original word order is more common and natural.

Could I use another tense of preferir, like Preferiría hablar…? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can change the tense to change the nuance:

Prefiero hablar… = I prefer to talk… (present, direct statement of preference).
Preferiría hablar… (conditional) = I would prefer to talk…
Sounds softer, more hypothetical or polite.
He preferido hablar… = I have preferred to talk… (present perfect; less likely here).
Prefería hablar… (imperfect) could mean “I used to prefer to talk…” or “I would prefer to talk” in some narrative contexts.

In a request or suggestion, Preferiría hablar… is particularly useful to sound more polite or less direct.