Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): En la próxima clase veremos un tema más difícil sobre la ciudad. - In the next class we will look at a more difficult topic about the city.

The article la is required because we’re talking about a specific class that both speaker and listener know about: the next one in the series. Spanish uses articles more than English, where you can say “in next class” in some dialects, but in Spanish you must say en la próxima clase.

What’s the difference between próxima and siguiente? Could I say en la siguiente clase?

Próxima and siguiente are very close in meaning and often interchangeable.

En la próxima clase = In the next class (the one immediately after this one).
En la siguiente clase = In the following class / in the next class.

In this context:

En la próxima clase is probably the most common in everyday classroom speech.
En la siguiente clase is also perfectly natural and correct; it can sound slightly more formal or neutral.

There’s no real difference in meaning here; you can use either in Spain.

Why is it veremos (we will see) when in English we’d usually say “we will study / we will cover”?

In Spanish, ver is very commonly used in an academic or explanatory context to mean:

“go over”
“cover”
“look at”
“study” (in the sense of “deal with a topic in class”)

So:

En la próxima clase veremos un tema...
literally: “In the next class we will see a topic...”
natural English: “In the next class we will cover / go over a topic...”

You could also say:

En la próxima clase estudiaremos un tema...
En la próxima clase trataremos un tema...

But veremos is shorter and very common teacher language in Spain.

Why is there no nosotros before veremos?

Spanish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

veremos = “we will see” (nosotros form of the simple future)

So:

Nosotros veremos un tema... – grammatically correct, but the nosotros is usually unnecessary.
Veremos un tema... – the normal, natural version.

You only add nosotros if you want to emphasize the subject, for example to contrast:

Nosotros veremos este tema hoy y ellos lo verán mañana.
“We will see this topic today and they will see it tomorrow.”

What’s the difference between veremos and vamos a ver here?

Both are future forms and both are fine in Spain:

Veremos un tema más difícil... = “We will see/cover a more difficult topic...”
Vamos a ver un tema más difícil... = “We’re going to see/cover a more difficult topic...”

Nuance:

Veremos (simple future) can sound slightly more formal or neutral.
Vamos a ver (periphrastic future) can sound a bit more colloquial and immediate, similar to English “we’re going to”.

In classroom speech in Spain, you’ll hear both very often. The meaning here is the same.

Why is it un tema más difícil and not un más difícil tema?

In Spanish, adjectives normally go after the noun:

un tema difícil = a difficult topic
un tema más difícil = a more difficult topic

The English order “a more difficult topic” (adjective before noun) does not work in Spanish. You cannot say:

✗ un más difícil tema – incorrect word order.

So the correct pattern is:

un tema + [adjective phrase]
→ un tema más difícil

Why is tema masculine if it ends in -a? Why un tema and not una tema?

Tema is one of a group of Greek-origin words ending in -ma that are masculine in Spanish, even though they look feminine:

el tema (the topic)
el problema (the problem)
el sistema (the system)
el programa (the program)

Because tema is masculine, you must use masculine articles and adjectives:

un tema interesante
el tema difícil
un tema más difícil

Saying una tema or la tema is incorrect.

Why do we say sobre la ciudad? What’s the difference between sobre and de here?

Both sobre and de can mean “about” in the sense of “on the subject of,” but sobre is very common in academic or thematic contexts.

un tema sobre la ciudad = “a topic about the city / on the city”
un tema de la ciudad can sound more like “a topic from the city” or “a topic belonging to the city,” and is less natural for “about the city” as a subject.

So for “a topic about X” (as a theme or subject), sobre X is usually the best choice:

un libro sobre la historia de España
una conferencia sobre el cambio climático
un tema más difícil sobre la ciudad

Is the word order un tema más difícil sobre la ciudad fixed? Could I move sobre la ciudad?

You have a bit of flexibility, but not all orders sound equally natural.

Most natural:

veremos un tema más difícil sobre la ciudad
(standard: noun + adjectives/phrases after it)

You could also say:

veremos un tema sobre la ciudad, más difícil

This puts more emphasis on “more difficult,” almost like an afterthought: “a topic about the city, a more difficult one.”

But avoid dividing tema and más difícil in an unnatural way, e.g.:

✗ veremos un tema sobre la ciudad más difícil
This could be misread as “the city that is more difficult,” because más difícil seems to modify la ciudad.

So keeping más difícil close to tema is clearest.

Why does próxima have an accent, and why does más have an accent?

1. Próxima

The stress in próxima is on the third-to-last syllable: PRÓX-i-ma.
Words stressed on the third-to-last syllable (called esdrújulas) always carry a written accent in Spanish.

So próxima must have an accent.

2. Más

más (with accent) means “more” or “most.”
mas (without accent) is a formal/literary conjunction meaning “but,” similar to pero, and is very rare in modern spoken Spanish.

In this sentence, we clearly need más = “more,” so we write the accent.

Could I say en la clase próxima instead of en la próxima clase?

Yes, en la clase próxima is grammatically correct, but it sounds less natural and a bit more formal or bookish.

Normal, everyday order:

En la próxima clase veremos...

Possible but less common:

En la clase próxima veremos...

Adjectives like próximo / próxima normally go before time nouns when they mean “next in a series”:

la próxima semana
el próximo día
la próxima vez
la próxima clase

What’s the difference between clase and lección? Could I say En la próxima lección?

You can say En la próxima lección, but it’s not exactly the same nuance.

clase:
In everyday Spain Spanish, clase is the standard word for a class session or lesson time with a teacher and students.
- Tengo clase de español a las 9.
- En la próxima clase veremos...
lección:
Often refers more to a lesson unit in a book or course:
- La lección 3 trata sobre la ciudad.

So:

En la próxima clase veremos un tema más difícil...
→ In the next class session we will cover a more difficult topic...
En la próxima lección...
→ In the next lesson (unit), we will cover...

In real classroom speech in Spain, clase is more common in this kind of sentence.