Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas en clase. - My teacher appreciates that we ask questions in class.

If the teacher is a woman, you say mi profesora. If it’s a man, you say mi profesor. The possessive mi (my) does not change; only the noun changes.

What exactly does agradece mean here?

Agradecer is a verb that covers several English ideas: to be grateful for, to appreciate, to be thankful for, sometimes even to thank (someone).

In this sentence:

Mi profesora agradece que…
can be understood as:
- My teacher appreciates that…
- My teacher is grateful that…

It doesn’t mean she is directly saying “thank you” out loud to the students in that moment; it describes her general attitude: she values / appreciates the fact that this happens.

Why do we need que in agradece que hagamos…? Could we omit it?

Here que is a conjunction meaning “that”, introducing a whole clause:

Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas en clase.
= My teacher appreciates *that we ask questions in class.*

You cannot omit que here. In Spanish, when a verb like agradecer is followed by a full clause (with its own subject and verb), you almost always need que to introduce it:

❌ Mi profesora agradece hagamos preguntas en clase.
✅ Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas en clase.

Why is it hagamos and not hacemos?

Hagamos is the present subjunctive, not the normal present indicative.

hacemos = present indicative, we do / we make / we ask (questions)
hagamos = present subjunctive, used in certain structures

The verb agradecer typically triggers the subjunctive when it’s followed by que + clause, because it expresses a reaction, emotion, or evaluation about an action:

Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas.
(She appreciates that we ask questions → attitude/emotion → subjunctive)

If you used hacemos instead, it would sound ungrammatical:

❌ Mi profesora agradece que hacemos preguntas en clase.

So when do we use the subjunctive after agradecer?

Use the subjunctive after agradecer que when it’s followed by a clause with its own subject and verb:

Agradezco que estés aquí.
I’m grateful that you’re here.
Ellos agradecen que les escribas tan a menudo.
They appreciate that you write to them so often.

Pattern:

[person] + agradecer + que + [different subject] + [verb in subjunctive]

If agradecer is followed by a noun, not a clause, there is no subjunctive:

Agradezco tus preguntas.
(I appreciate your questions. — tus preguntas is a noun phrase)

Who is included in hagamos? Does it always mean “we”?

Yes, hagamos is the 1st person plural form of the subjunctive, so it means “we (do/make)”.

In this sentence, the implied subject is nosotros (we), but Spanish normally drops subject pronouns when they’re clear from the verb ending:

(Nosotros) hagamos → We do/make / We ask (questions)

So:

Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas…
= My teacher appreciates that *we ask questions…*

Why is there no ella or nosotros in the sentence?

Spanish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb endings already tell you who the subject is:

agradece → 3rd person singular (he/she/it)
→ subject: ella (she), él (he) or usted (you formal)
hagamos → 1st person plural
→ subject: nosotros / nosotras (we)

So you could say:

Ella agradece que nosotros hagamos preguntas en clase.

But it sounds heavy and redundant in everyday Spanish. The natural version is:

Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas en clase.

Could we say Mi profesora agradece nuestras preguntas en clase instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct, but the structure and nuance change:

Original sentence
- Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas en clase.
  Focuses on the action of us asking questions.
  → She appreciates the fact that we *ask questions (that we participate).*
Alternative sentence
- Mi profesora agradece nuestras preguntas en clase.
  Focuses on the questions themselves, as things we produce.
  → She appreciates *our questions in class.*

Both are fine, but the original is more about our behavior (our habit of speaking up), while the alternative is more about the quality or existence of the questions as “objects.”

Why is it en clase and not en la clase? Are both correct?

Both en clase and en la clase are possible, but there’s a nuance:

en clase
= in class (generic situation of being in lesson / in class time)
Very common in Spain in school/university contexts.
- No podemos usar el móvil en clase.
  We can’t use our phone in class.
en la clase
= in the class, referring more specifically to a particular class, room, or group.
- Hay veinte alumnos en la clase de matemáticas.
  There are twenty students in the math class.

In your sentence, en clase feels more natural because it’s about a general classroom behavior, not about one specific class session or room.

Is the sentence talking about a general habit or something happening right now?

Grammatically, it’s a present, but in Spanish the simple present often expresses general or habitual actions:

Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas en clase.
→ My teacher (generally) appreciates that we ask questions in class.

It could also refer to something currently true at this time in the course, but it’s not a one-time, “right now this minute” action; it’s more her ongoing attitude toward questions in class.

How is hacer conjugated in the present subjunctive (like hagamos)?

Hacer is irregular in the present subjunctive. The full paradigm is:

yo haga
tú hagas
él / ella / usted haga
nosotros / nosotras hagamos
vosotros / vosotras hagáis
ellos / ellas / ustedes hagan

So in your sentence:

hagamos = that we (should) do / make / ask (here: ask questions)

Can we move en clase earlier, like Mi profesora agradece que en clase hagamos preguntas?

Yes, that word order is also grammatically correct:

Mi profesora agradece que en clase hagamos preguntas.

Both versions mean the same. The original is simply the most neutral, typical order:

Mi profesora agradece que hagamos preguntas en clase. (most common)
Mi profesora agradece que en clase hagamos preguntas. (slight emphasis on in class)

Changing the position of en clase doesn’t change the core meaning; it just slightly shifts what part of the sentence feels emphasized.