Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase aunque esté nerviosa. - My friend dares to speak out loud in class even if she is nervous.

se atreve = she dares / she has the courage
The se is part of the verb; you cannot drop it in normal, modern Spanish.
The full structure here is:
Mi amiga se atreve a hablar… = My friend dares to speak…

There is also a non‑pronominal verb atrever, but in contemporary Spanish it’s rare and sounds old‑fashioned or very formal (and it usually needs a direct object). In everyday speech, when you mean to dare (to do something), you use atreverse a + infinitive with se.

Why is a used after se atreve before hablar?

With atreverse, Spanish always uses the preposition a before an infinitive:

atreverse a hacer algo – to dare to do something
atreverse a decir la verdad – to dare to tell the truth
atreverse a hablar – to dare to speak

So, the pattern is:

atreverse a + infinitive

You cannot replace a with de, para, or nothing.
Mi amiga se atreve a hablar… is correct; anything like se atreve hablar or se atreve de hablar is incorrect.

Could I say Mi amiga se atreve hablar without a?

No. That would be incorrect in standard Spanish.

You must include the a:

✅ Mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase.
❌ Mi amiga se atreve hablar en voz alta en clase.

Think of atreverse a as a fixed combination: the a is part of the structure whenever it is followed by a verb in the infinitive.

Why is it aunque esté nerviosa with esté instead of aunque está nerviosa with está? Can I use both, and what’s the difference?

Both forms are grammatically possible, but they do not mean exactly the same thing.

1. Subjunctive: aunque esté nerviosa

esté is the present subjunctive of estar.
With aunque + subjunctive, the speaker presents the situation as:
- possible / hypothetical, or
- not important to the main fact.

In this sentence, aunque esté nerviosa is like saying:

even if she is (might be) nervous
whether she is nervous or not

It emphasizes that her nervousness doesn’t stop her; it’s a potential or general condition.

2. Indicative: aunque está nerviosa

está is the present indicative.
With aunque + indicative, the speaker presents the situation as a known fact:
even though she is nervous (and we know she is).

So:

✅ Mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase aunque esté nerviosa.
→ even if she is/might be nervous, she dares to speak (more general, more hypothetical).
✅ Mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase aunque está nerviosa.
→ she dares to speak even though she is (in fact) nervous (more factual, descriptive).

In many everyday contexts, Spaniards use the subjunctive here because it sounds more “patterned” with aunque and expresses that the nervousness is secondary to the main idea (her daring to speak).

What exactly does en voz alta mean, and how is it different from just saying hablar alto?

en voz alta literally means in a loud voice, and idiomatically means out loud / aloud.

Typical uses:

leer en voz alta – to read aloud
pensar en voz alta – to think out loud
hablar en voz alta – to speak out loud

You can also hear:

hablar alto – to speak loudly
(more about volume; very common in Spain)

The difference:

en voz alta is a fixed phrase, often used in slightly more neutral or careful speech, especially in instructions (in class, at school, etc.).
hablar alto is more colloquial and focuses more directly on speaking loudly (high volume).

In your sentence, hablar en voz alta en clase fits perfectly and sounds natural, especially in a classroom context.

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

Both en clase and en la clase are grammatically correct, but they don’t feel exactly the same.

en clase
→ “in class / during class” (as an activity or situation)
It’s more general and is what you’d normally say in Spain in this context.
en la clase
→ “in the class” or “in the classroom” (more specific)
It can refer to a particular class session or a specific physical classroom.

Examples:

No uses el móvil en clase.
→ Don’t use your phone in class. (general rule)
En la clase de matemáticas somos 30 alumnos.
→ In the (math) class we are 30 students. (specific class)

In your sentence, en clase is the most natural choice because we are talking about what she does during class in general.

Why is nerviosa feminine here? How does the agreement work?

In Spanish, adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

Here:

mi amiga is feminine singular (because amiga ends in -a and refers to a female friend).
nerviosa is the feminine singular form of the adjective nervioso/nerviosa.

So:

mi amiga → nerviosa (feminine singular)
mi amigo → nervioso (masculine singular)
mis amigas → nerviosas (feminine plural)
mis amigos → nerviosos (masculine plural / mixed group)

The verb esté doesn’t change with gender; only the adjective does.
That’s why we say:

aunque esté nerviosa for mi amiga
aunque esté nervioso for mi amigo

Is the word order fixed? Can I move aunque esté nerviosa or en clase to other positions?

The basic elements can move around; Spanish word order is flexible as long as it stays clear.

All of these are possible and natural (context decides what sounds best):

Mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase aunque esté nerviosa.
Mi amiga, aunque esté nerviosa, se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase.
Aunque esté nerviosa, mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase.

You can also move en clase:

Mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta, en clase, aunque esté nerviosa.
(slight pause; en clase sounds like extra information)

What you can’t do is break up fixed groups in a strange way, for example:

❌ Mi amiga se atreve en voz alta a hablar en clase. (sounds wrong/confusing)

The safest is to keep:

se atreve a + infinitive together
en voz alta together
en clase together
and then move those blocks as needed.

How would the sentence change if I were talking about a male friend or more than one friend?

You mainly change the subject and the endings on the verb and adjectives.

1. Male friend (singular)

Mi amigo se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase aunque esté nervioso.

Changes:

amiga → amigo
adjective nerviosa → nervioso
se atreve stays the same (third person singular).

2. Female friends (plural)

Mis amigas se atreven a hablar en voz alta en clase aunque estén nerviosas.

Changes:

Mi amiga → Mis amigas
se atreve → se atreven (third person plural)
esté → estén (subjunctive plural)
nerviosa → nerviosas (feminine plural).

3. Male or mixed group of friends (plural)

Mis amigos se atreven a hablar en voz alta en clase aunque estén nerviosos.

Can I use this se atreve a + infinitive structure with other verbs besides hablar?

Yes. That’s the normal way to use atreverse. Just change the infinitive:

Mi amiga se atreve a cantar sola. – My friend dares to sing alone.
No me atrevo a decirle la verdad. – I don’t dare to tell him/her the truth.
Ellos no se atreven a conducir de noche. – They don’t dare to drive at night.
¿Te atreves a saltar? – Do you dare to jump?

The pattern is always:

pronoun (me/te/se/nos/os/se) + atrever (conjugated) + a + infinitive

Is mi amiga the same as “a friend of mine”, or is it always “my friend”? Are there alternatives?

Mi amiga normally means my friend (specific, known friend).

If you want to say a friend of mine, Spanish often uses:

una amiga mía – a friend of mine (female)
un amigo mío – a friend of mine (male)

So:

Mi amiga se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase…
→ My friend dares to speak out loud in class…
Una amiga mía se atreve a hablar en voz alta en clase…
→ A friend of mine dares to speak out loud in class…

Both structures are common in Spain; the choice depends on whether you present the friend as a specific “my friend” or as “one friend of mine”.