Mi pareja de baile repite el paso básico.

Here, pareja de baile means dance partner.

Pareja does not always mean a romantic partner. It can also mean:

• a pair
• a partner
• one member of a matching set
• someone paired with you for an activity

So in this sentence, mi pareja de baile is simply my dance partner, not necessarily my boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse.

Because mi without an accent is the possessive adjective meaning my.

Compare:

• mi pareja = my partner
• mí = me after a preposition, as in para mí = for me

So:

• Mi pareja de baile... = My dance partner...
• not Mí pareja...

Spanish often uses de + noun to describe what something is related to.

So:

• pareja de baile = partner of dance / for dancing
• natural English translation: dance partner

This structure is very common in Spanish:

• zapatos de deporte = sports shoes
• sala de estar = living room
• profesor de español = Spanish teacher

Repite is the third-person singular present tense form of repetir (to repeat).

The subject is mi pareja de baile, which is grammatically he/she/it, so you need:

• yo repito
• tú repites
• él/ella/usted repite

So Mi pareja de baile repite... means My dance partner repeats...

Yes. Repetir is a stem-changing verb: e → i in many present-tense forms.

Present tense:

• yo repito
• tú repites
• él/ella/usted repite
• nosotros/nosotras repetimos
• vosotros/vosotras repetís
• ellos/ellas/ustedes repiten

Notice that in nosotros and vosotros, the stem does not change.

Since you are learning Spanish from Spain, vosotros repetís is especially worth knowing.

Because Spanish often omits subject pronouns when the meaning is clear from the verb or context.

So instead of saying:

• Ella repite el paso básico

Spanish very naturally says:

• Mi pareja de baile repite el paso básico

And even if the subject were already known, Spanish might simply say:

• Repite el paso básico

This is normal because the verb ending often gives enough information.

Spanish uses definite articles (el, la, los, las) more often than English.

Here, el paso básico means:

• the basic step

It can refer to:

• a specific basic step already understood from context, or
• the standard/basic step used in that dance

In English, we sometimes drop the more easily, but in Spanish the article often sounds more natural.

Paso means step, especially in dancing. Básico means basic.

So el paso básico is the basic step, often the fundamental or beginner step in a dance.

It is a very natural collocation in dance contexts, just like English basic step.

Because in Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• paso básico = basic step
• literally: step basic

This is the normal position for most descriptive adjectives.

Sometimes Spanish adjectives can go before the noun, but that usually adds a different nuance or emphasis. In this sentence, paso básico is the standard, neutral order.

The accent mark shows where the stress goes: BÁ-si-co.

Without the accent, Spanish stress rules would suggest a different pronunciation. The written accent makes it clear that the stress is on the first syllable.

So pronounce it roughly like:

• BA-see-ko

In Spanish from Spain, pareja is pronounced approximately:

pa-RE-ha

A few key points:

• j sounds like a strong throaty sound, similar to the ch in Scottish loch
• the stress is on re
• the r here is a single tapped r, not a strong rolled rr

So:

• pa as in pah
• re with the stress
• ja with that Spanish j sound

Yes. Pareja is a feminine noun grammatically, but it can refer to either sex depending on the person.

So:

• Mi pareja de baile could mean my male dance partner
• or my female dance partner

The noun stays pareja either way. If you want to make the person’s sex clear, the surrounding context or other words would usually do that.

Yes, often you can.

Possible options:

• mi pareja de baile = my dance partner
• mi compañero de baile = my male dance partner / dance companion
• mi compañera de baile = my female dance partner / dance companion

Pareja de baile focuses more on the fact that the two people are paired together for dancing. Compañero/a de baile can sound a little broader, more like dance companion/partner.

In many contexts, both are possible.

Because the personal a is generally used before specific human direct objects.

Examples:

• Veo a mi profesor. = I see my teacher.
• Escucho a Ana. = I listen to Ana.

But here, el paso básico is a thing, not a person, so there is no personal a:

• repite el paso básico

That is exactly what we expect.

Yes, but the original order is the most neutral and natural:

• Mi pareja de baile repite el paso básico.

Spanish can sometimes change word order for emphasis, for example:

• El paso básico lo repite mi pareja de baile.

That sounds more marked and emphasizes the basic step.

For a normal statement, stick with:

• Mi pareja de baile repite el paso básico.