Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi madre no está segura del horario y se siente un poco preocupada. - My mother is not sure about the schedule and feels a little worried.

Spanish uses estar seguro/a de to mean to be sure / certain about something. This is seen as a mental or temporary state, so it takes estar.

Mi madre no está segura del horario = My mother is not sure about the schedule.

Ser seguro/a has different meanings:

For people: Es muy segura de sí misma = She is very self-confident.
For places/things: Este barrio es seguro = This neighborhood is safe.

So Mi madre no es segura del horario would sound wrong or very odd; for “not sure (about something)” you need estar segura de.

Why do we say segura de the schedule and not segura sobre or segura con?

With the meaning sure about / certain of, Spanish normally uses the fixed pattern:

estar seguro/a de + noun
estar seguro/a de + infinitive
estar seguro/a de que + clause

Examples:

Estoy seguro de la respuesta. – I’m sure of the answer.
No estoy segura de llegar a tiempo. – I’m not sure I’ll arrive on time.
Estoy seguro de que vendrá. – I’m sure (that) he/she will come.

So:

estar segura del horario = to be sure about the schedule.

Using sobre or con here (segura sobre el horario, segura con el horario) is not natural Spanish for this meaning.

What exactly does del mean here, and why isn’t it de el horario?

Del is simply the mandatory contraction of de + el:

de + el → del
a + el → al

You must contract de el into del when el is the masculine singular article (“the”):

del horario = de + el horario = “of the schedule”

But with other articles there is no contraction:

de la hora
de los horarios
de las clases

So de el horario is incorrect; you must say del horario.

What does horario mean here? Is it “hour”, “time”, or “schedule”?

Horario means schedule / timetable, i.e. the organized set of times for something.

Compare:

hora = clock time / hour
- ¿A qué hora empieza? – At what time does it start?
tiempo = (abstract) time, or weather
- No tengo tiempo. – I don’t have time.
horario = schedule, timetable
- el horario del tren – the train schedule
- mi horario de trabajo – my work schedule

So del horario here is “of the schedule / of the timetable”.

Why is it se siente and not just siente?

Spanish distinguishes:

sentir + noun = to feel (something)
- Siente miedo. – She feels fear.
- Siento dolor. – I feel pain.
sentirse + adjective/adverb = to feel (a certain way)
- Se siente preocupada. – She feels worried.
- Me siento cansado. – I feel tired.

In your sentence we have an adjective (preocupada), so the reflexive form se siente is required.
Siente un poco preocupada would be ungrammatical; with siente (non‑reflexive) you’d expect a noun: Siente un poco de preocupación.

Could we say está un poco preocupada instead of se siente un poco preocupada?

Yes. Both are correct, with a small nuance:

está un poco preocupada – describes her current state: she is a bit worried.
se siente un poco preocupada – emphasizes her subjective feeling of being worried.

Often they’re interchangeable in everyday speech:

Mi madre no está segura del horario y está un poco preocupada.
Mi madre no está segura del horario y se siente un poco preocupada.

Both sound natural.

Why do segura and preocupada end in -a?

Because adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

madre is grammatically feminine singular
therefore: segura, preocupada (feminine singular forms)

If the subject were masculine:

Mi padre no está seguro del horario y se siente un poco preocupado.

If it were plural:

Mis padres no están seguros del horario y se sienten un poco preocupados.

Not all adjectives change form (e.g. triste, feliz, joven don’t show separate masculine/feminine endings), but many do, like seguro/segura, preocupado/preocupada.

What is the difference between un poco preocupada and poco preocupada?

They are not the same:

un poco preocupada = a bit / somewhat worried
Neutral, just indicates a low/moderate level.
poco preocupada = not very worried / hardly worried
Has a more negative or insufficient nuance: she is worried, but only a little, often implying “less than you might expect”.

Compare:

Estoy un poco cansado. – I’m a bit tired.
Estoy poco cansado. – I’m not very tired / I’m hardly tired.

You can also hear un poquito preocupada (a tiny bit worried), which is more colloquial.

Why isn’t ella written before no está segura?

Spanish is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are usually omitted when the subject is clear from context or from the verb form.

Here the subject mi madre is explicitly stated, so adding ella is unnecessary:

Mi madre no está segura del horario y se siente un poco preocupada.

You would only add ella for emphasis or contrast:

Ella, mi madre, no está segura del horario.
Mi padre está tranquilo, pero ella se siente un poco preocupada.

In normal, neutral sentences, you drop ella.

In English we say “and she feels”; why doesn’t Spanish repeat mi madre or add ella after y?

In Spanish, when two verbs share the same subject, you usually mention the subject only once and then link the verbs with y (and), o (or), etc.

So:

Mi madre no está segura del horario y se siente un poco preocupada.

means:

“My mother is not sure about the schedule and (she) feels a little worried.”

Repeating the subject (y ella se siente…) is possible, but normally done only:

for emphasis,
to contrast with another subject,
or to avoid ambiguity if the subject were to change.

Here, it’s clear both verbs refer to mi madre, so no repetition is needed.

Could I say Mi mamá instead of Mi madre in Spain?

Yes, but the register changes slightly:

Mi madre – neutral, standard, works in speech and writing.
Mi mamá – more informal and affectionate (what you call your mother).

In Spain, both are common. You might say:

Mi madre no está segura del horario… in a neutral narrative.
Mi mamá no está segura del horario… in a very personal or childlike context.

In most of Latin America, mamá is extremely common in everyday speech, sometimes more than madre.

What tense are está and se siente, and how would I say this in the past?

Both está and se siente are present indicative (she is / she feels) describing a current state.

To talk about the past, you might use:

Imperfect (ongoing/background state):
- Mi madre no estaba segura del horario y se sentía un poco preocupada.
  → My mother wasn’t sure about the schedule and was feeling a bit worried.
Preterite (completed episode, less common with these stative verbs but possible in narrative):
- Mi madre no estuvo segura del horario y se sintió un poco preocupada.
Present perfect (has not been sure up to now):
- Mi madre no ha estado segura del horario y se ha sentido un poco preocupada.